Chronic Nicotine Exposure Minimally Affects Rat Supraspinatus Tendon Properties and Bone Microstructure.

ABSTRACT: Cigarette smoking is the largest cause of preventable deaths, and a known risk factor for musculoskeletal issues including rotator cuff tendon tears. Tendon degeneration is believed to be due in part to changes in tendon cell health and collagen structure. Several studies have demonstrated that exposure to nicotine negatively impacts tendon healing, but surprisingly, nicotine exposure was shown to increase rat supraspinatus tendon stiffness. In order to address this seeming contradiction, the objective of this study was to comprehensively investigate the effects of long-term (18 weeks) exposure of nicotine on tendon-to-bone microstructural properties in a rat model. We hypothesized that long term subcutaneous nicotine delivery would lead to diminished tendon mechanical properties, decrease

SUBMITTER: Huegel J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8062272 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature