Xiaoyun Liu, Yuping Deng, Zeyu Liang, Dan Qiao, Wentian Zhang, Mian Wang, Feifei Li, Jiannan Liu, Yaobing Wu, Guangxin Chen, Yan Liu, Wenchang Tan, Jian Xing, Wenhua Huang, Dongliang Zhao, Yanbing Li
Background: The treatment of patellar tendon injury has always been an unsolved problem, and mechanical characterization is very important for its repair and reconstruction. Elastin is a contributor to mechanics, but it is not clear how it affects the elasticity, viscoelastic properties, and structure of patellar tendon. Methods: The patellar tendons from six fresh adult experimental pigs were used in this study and they were made into 77 samples. The patellar tendon was specifically degraded by elastase, and the regional mechanical response and structural changes were investigated by: (1) Based on the previous study of elastase treatment conditions, the biochemical quantification of collagen, glycosaminoglycan and total protein was carried out; (2) The patellar tendon was divided into the proximal, central, and distal regions, and then the axial tensile test and stress relaxation test were performed before and after phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) or elastase treatment; (3) The dynamic constitutive model was established by the obtained mechanical data; (4) The structural relationship between elastin and collagen fibers was analyzed by two-photon microscopy and histology...
2024: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology