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Tendon healing affects the multiscale mechanical, structural and compositional response of tendon to quasi-static tensile loading
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Tendon healing affects the multiscale mechanical, structural and compositional response of tendon to quasi-static tensile loading

Benjamin R. Freedman, Ashley B. Rodriguez, Cody D. Hillin, Stephanie N. Weiss, Biao Han, Lin Han and Louis J. Soslowsky
Journal of the Royal Society interface, v 15(139), 20170880
01 Feb 2018
PMID: 29467258
url
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2017.0880View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)Maybe Open Access (Publisher Bronze) Open

Abstract

1004 function Life Sciences–Engineering interface ligament Collagen Extracellular Matrix Mechanics
Tendon experiences a variety of multiscale changes to its extracellular matrix during mechanical loading at the fascicle, fibre and fibril levels. For example, tensile loading of tendon increases its stiffness, with organization of collagen fibres, and increases cell strain in the direction of loading. Although applied macroscale strains correlate to cell and nuclear strains in uninjured tendon, the multiscale response during tendon healing remains unknown and may affect cell mechanosensing and response. Therefore, this study evaluated multiscale structure–function mechanisms in response to quasi-static tensile loading in uninjured and healing tendons. We found that tendon healing affected the macroscale mechanical and structural response to mechanical loading, evidenced by decreases in strain stiffening and collagen fibre realignment. At the micro- and nanoscales, healing resulted in increased collagen fibre disorganization, nuclear disorganization, decreased change in nuclear aspect ratio with loading, and decreased indentation modulus compared to uninjured tendons. Taken together, this work supports a new concept of nuclear strain transfer attenuation during tendon healing and identifies several multiscale properties that may contribute. Our work also provides benchmarks for the biomechanical microenvironments that tendon cells may experience following cell delivery therapies.

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24 citations in Scopus

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Engineering, Biomedical
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