Abstract
Restoring the native structure of the tendon enthesis, where collagen fibers of the midsubstance are integrated within a fibrocartilaginous structure, is problematic following injury. As current surgical methods fail to restore this region adequately, engineers, biologists, and clinicians are working to understand how this structure forms as a prerequisite to improving repair outcomes. We recently reported on the role of Indian hedgehog (Ihh), a novel enthesis marker, in regulating early postnatal enthesis formation. Here, we investigate how inactivating the Hh pathway in tendon cells affects adult (12-week) murine patellar tendon (PT) enthesis mechanics, fibrocartilage morphology, and collagen fiber organization. We show that ablating Hh signaling resulted in greater than 100% increased failure insertion strain (0.10 v. 0.05 mm/mm, p
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society |
Volume | 33 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 2015 |
Keywords
- enthesis
- fibrocartilage
- hedgehog
- mineralization
- serial block face-scanning electron microscopy
- tendon mechanics