Systemic corticosteroids improve tendon healing when given after the early inflammatory phase.

ABSTRACT: Inflammation initiates tendon healing and then normally resolves more or less completely. Unresolved inflammation might disturb the remodeling process. We hypothesized that suppression of inflammation during the early remodeling phase by systemic dexamethasone treatment can improve healing. 36 rats underwent Achilles tendon transection and were randomized to dexamethasone or saline on days 0-4 after surgery (early inflammatory phase), and euthanasia day 7. Another 54 rats received injections days 5-9 (early remodeling phase) and were euthanized day 12 for mechanical, histological and flow cytometric evaluation. Dexamethasone treatment days 0-4 reduced the cross-sectional area, peak force and stiffness by day 7 to less than half (p < 0.001 for all), while material properties (peak stress an

SUBMITTER: Blomgran P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5622078 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature