Mild hypercholesterolemia impacts achilles sub-tendon mechanical properties in young rats.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with tendon pathology, but the reasons underpinning this relationship are not well understood. Cholesterol can accumulate in the tendon non-collagenous matrix which may affect both global and local tissue mechanics. Changes to the local strain environment within tendon may have significant implications for mechanosensitive tenocytes. Here, we investigated the association between elevated blood cholesterol and presence of tendon lipids in the Achilles tendon. We expected lipids to be localised in the proteoglycan-rich inter-sub-tendon matrix (ISTM), therefore we also sought to examine the impact of this on the biomechanical and viscoelastic properties of the ISTM.

Methods

The Achilles tendons of 32 young wild-type (SD) and 32 apol

SUBMITTER: Waugh CM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10091839 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature