Spatiotemporal and microstructural characterization of heterotopic ossification in healing rat Achilles tendons.

Achilles tendon rupture is a common debilitating medical condition. The healing process is slow and can be affected by heterotopic ossification (HO), which occurs when pathologic bone-like tissue is deposited instead of the soft collagenous tendon tissue. Little is known about the temporal and spatial progression of HO during Achilles tendon healing.

Predicting the formation of different tissue types during Achilles tendon healing using mechanoregulated and oxygen-regulated frameworks.

During Achilles tendon healing in rodents, besides the expected tendon tissue, also cartilage-, bone- and fat-like tissue features have been observed during the first twenty weeks of healing. Several studies have hypothesized that mechanical loading may play a key role in the formation of different tissue types during healing. We recently developed a computational mechanobiological framework to predict tendon tissue production, organization and mechanical properties during tendon healing.

Predicting the effect of reduced load level and cell infiltration on spatio-temporal Achilles tendon healing.

Mechanobiology plays an important role in tendon healing. However, the relationship between mechanical loading and spatial and temporal evolution of tendon properties during healing is not well understood. This study builds on a recently presented mechanoregulatory computational framework that couples mechanobiological tendon healing to tissue production and collagen orientation.

A numerical framework for mechano-regulated tendon healing-Simulation of early regeneration of the Achilles tendon.

Mechano-regulation during tendon healing, i.e. the relationship between mechanical stimuli and cellular response, has received more attention recently.

Diminishing effects of mechanical loading over time during rat Achilles tendon healing.

Mechanical loading affects tendon healing and recovery. However, our understanding about how physical loading affects recovery of viscoelastic functions, collagen production and tissue organisation is limited. The objective of this study was to investigate how different magnitudes of loading affects biomechanical and collagen properties of healing Achilles tendons over time.

Matrisome Properties of Scaffolds Direct Fibroblasts in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) structural properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are altered and influence cellular responses through cell-matrix interactions. Scaffolds (decellularized tissue) derived from subpleural healthy and IPF lungs were examined regarding biomechanical properties and ECM composition of proteins (the matrisome). Scaffolds were repopulated with healthy fibroblasts cultured under static stretch with heavy isotope amino acids (SILAC), to examine newly synthesized proteins over time.

Understanding how reduced loading affects Achilles tendon mechanical properties using a fibre-reinforced poro-visco-hyper-elastic model.

Understanding tendon mechanobiology is important for gaining insight into the development of tendon pathology and subsequent repair processes. The aim of this study was to investigate how experimentally observed mechanobiological adaptation of rat Achilles tendons translate to changes in constitutive mechanical properties and biomechanical behavior. In addition, we assessed the ability of the model to simulate tendon creep and stress-relaxation.