ABSTRACT
In recent years,with the application of natural extracellular matrix (ECM) components,tissueinduced scaffolds have become one of the hot topics in tissue engineering.As a natural source of material,ECM components are easily obtained from animals,and have good biocompatibility.Moreover,tendon ECM materials can well simulate the composition and structure of natural tendon ECM,and can provide mechanics fulcrum and stimulus signal for host cells so as to promote their tenogenic differentiation.Therefore,the tendon ECM components contained scaffold is expected to promote the repair and regeneration of tendon tissue.In this paper,the recent progress of tendon decellularization and preparation of different forms of scaffolds were reviewed,as well as the application of tendon ECM in the construction of tissue engineering tendons and mechanism of ECM induced tenogenic differentiation.Moreover,the optimized methods for preparing tendon ECM contained scaffolds were proposed to promote the application.
ABSTRACT
Tendon is a dense connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. Tendon can adapt to mechanical forces passing across it, through a reciprocal relationship between its cellular components (tenocytes and tenoblasts) and the extracellular matrix (ECM). In early development, the formation of scleraxis-expressing tendon progenitor population in the sclerotome is induced by a fibroblast growth factor signal secreted by the myotome. Tendon injury has been defined as a loss of cells or ECM caused by trauma. It represents a failure of cells and matrix adaptation to mechanical loading. Injury initiates attempts of tendon to repair itself, which has been defined as replacement of damaged or lost cells and ECM by new cells or new matrices. Tendon healing generally consists of four different phases: the inflammatory, proliferation, differentiation and remodelling phases. Clinically, tendons are repaired with a variety of surgical techniques, which show various degrees of success. In order to improve the conventional tendon repair methods, current tendon tissue engineering aims to investigate a repair method which can restore tissue defects with living cells, or cell based therapy. Advances in tissue engineering techniques would potentially yield to a cell-based product that could regenerate functional tendon tissue.
Subject(s)
Tissue EngineeringABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the biomechanics of the tissue engineered tendons which use the embryonic tendon cells as the seed-cells and the silk as the scaffolds. Methods Two groups were set up with one as the group with tenocytes and the other as the group without tenocytes. Tissue engineered tendons were taken out at 2-week, 4-week, 6-week, 8-week post-operation, with 20 samples per-group each time. The values of biomechanics were measured and analyzed using the software SPSS 13.0. Results The biomechanical properties of the tissue engineered tendons in the group with tenocytes were significantly better than those in the group without tenocytes (P<0.05). In the group with tenocytes, the vitodynamics results got better with the increase of implantation time (P<0.05) except for the results of 8-week post--operation(P>0.05). But in the group without tenocytes, only the results of that from 8-week post-operation were of significant significance (P<0.05). Conclusion The results presented in the current study demonstrated that silk could stick tenocytes well, hold the characteristics of great resistance to draw after adhesion of tenocytes, and formed the tissue engineered tendon gradually in chickens, suggesting its potential application in the treatment of the defect of tendon.