Intermittent cyclic stretch of engineered ligaments drives hierarchical collagen fiber maturation in a dose- and organizational-dependent manner.

ABSTRACT: Hierarchical collagen fibers are the primary source of strength in tendons and ligaments; however, these fibers largely do not regenerate after injury or with repair, resulting in limited treatment options. We previously developed a static culture system that guides ACL fibroblasts to produce native-sized fibers and early fascicles by 6 weeks. These constructs are promising ligament replacements, but further maturation is needed. Mechanical cues are critical for development in vivo and in engineered tissues; however, the effect on larger fiber and fascicle formation is largely unknown. Our objective was to investigate whether intermittent cyclic stretch, mimicking rapid muscle activity, drives further maturation in our system to create stronger engineered replacements and to explore whethe

SUBMITTER: Troop LD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11381169 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature