Deprivation of loading during rat Achilles tendon healing affects extracellular matrix composition and structure, and reduces cell density and alignment
Hammerman, Malin LU ; Pierantoni, Maria LU
; Isaksson, Hanna
LU
and Eliasson, Pernilla
(2024)
In Scientific Reports
14(1).
- Abstract
Tendon healing involves mechanosensitive cells that adapt to mechanical stimuli through mechanotransduction, resulting in increased tissue strength. However, detailed insights into this process in response to different loads remain limited. We aimed to investigate how different loading regimes impact the spatial composition of elastin and collagens during Achilles tendon healing. Histological analysis was conducted on healing rat Achilles tendons exposed to (1) full loading, (2) reduced loading, or (3) minimal loading. Histological analysis included Hematoxylin & Eosin and immunohistochemical staining targeting elastin, Collagen 1, Collagen 3, and CD31. Our results showed that the impact of mechanical stimuli on healing tendons... (More)
Tendon healing involves mechanosensitive cells that adapt to mechanical stimuli through mechanotransduction, resulting in increased tissue strength. However, detailed insights into this process in response to different loads remain limited. We aimed to investigate how different loading regimes impact the spatial composition of elastin and collagens during Achilles tendon healing. Histological analysis was conducted on healing rat Achilles tendons exposed to (1) full loading, (2) reduced loading, or (3) minimal loading. Histological analysis included Hematoxylin & Eosin and immunohistochemical staining targeting elastin, Collagen 1, Collagen 3, and CD31. Our results showed that the impact of mechanical stimuli on healing tendons varied with the degree of loading. Unexpectedly, minimal loading led to higher staining intensity for collagens and elastin. However, tendons exposed to minimal loading appeared thinner and exhibited a less organized matrix structure, with fewer, less aligned, and more rounded cells. Additionally, our findings indicated an inverse correlation between angiogenesis and load level, with more blood vessels in tendons subjected to less loading. Tissue integrity improved by 12 weeks post-injury, but the healing process continued and did not regain the structure seen in intact tendons even after 20 weeks. This study reveals a load-dependent effect on matrix alignment, cell density, and cell alignment.
(Less)
- author
- Hammerman, Malin
LU
; Pierantoni, Maria
LU
; Isaksson, Hanna
LU
and Eliasson, Pernilla
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024-12
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Collagen 1, Collagen 3, Elastin, Histology, Immunohistochemistry, Unloading
- in
- Scientific Reports
- volume
- 14
- issue
- 1
- article number
- 23380
- publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:39379568
- scopus:85206056832
- ISSN
- 2045-2322
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-024-74783-w
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 3545a875-e082-48c9-a77f-ec05c5441919
- date added to LUP
- 2024-11-27 13:26:14
- date last changed
- 2025-07-10 08:12:33
@article{3545a875-e082-48c9-a77f-ec05c5441919,
abstract = {{<p>Tendon healing involves mechanosensitive cells that adapt to mechanical stimuli through mechanotransduction, resulting in increased tissue strength. However, detailed insights into this process in response to different loads remain limited. We aimed to investigate how different loading regimes impact the spatial composition of elastin and collagens during Achilles tendon healing. Histological analysis was conducted on healing rat Achilles tendons exposed to (1) full loading, (2) reduced loading, or (3) minimal loading. Histological analysis included Hematoxylin & Eosin and immunohistochemical staining targeting elastin, Collagen 1, Collagen 3, and CD31. Our results showed that the impact of mechanical stimuli on healing tendons varied with the degree of loading. Unexpectedly, minimal loading led to higher staining intensity for collagens and elastin. However, tendons exposed to minimal loading appeared thinner and exhibited a less organized matrix structure, with fewer, less aligned, and more rounded cells. Additionally, our findings indicated an inverse correlation between angiogenesis and load level, with more blood vessels in tendons subjected to less loading. Tissue integrity improved by 12 weeks post-injury, but the healing process continued and did not regain the structure seen in intact tendons even after 20 weeks. This study reveals a load-dependent effect on matrix alignment, cell density, and cell alignment.</p>}},
author = {{Hammerman, Malin and Pierantoni, Maria and Isaksson, Hanna and Eliasson, Pernilla}},
issn = {{2045-2322}},
keywords = {{Collagen 1; Collagen 3; Elastin; Histology; Immunohistochemistry; Unloading}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
publisher = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
series = {{Scientific Reports}},
title = {{Deprivation of loading during rat Achilles tendon healing affects extracellular matrix composition and structure, and reduces cell density and alignment}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-74783-w}},
doi = {{10.1038/s41598-024-74783-w}},
volume = {{14}},
year = {{2024}},
}