Effects of stress shielding on the transverse mechanical properties of rabbit patellar tendons

Yamamoto, Ei; Hayashi, Kozaburo; Yamamoto, Noritaka

Affiliations

¹Laboratory on Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology, Kinki University, Naga, Wakayama 649-6493, Japan

²Biomechanics Laboratory, Division of Mechanical Science, Department of Systems and Human Science, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan

³Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Kusatsu, Shiga 525-8577, Japan

Abstract

With the aim of studying mechanisms of the remodeling of tendons and ligaments, the effects of stress shielding on the rabbit patellar tendon were studied by performing tensile and stress relaxation tests in the transverse direction. The tangent modulus, tensile strength, and strain at failure of non-treated, control patellar tendons in the transverse direction were 1272 kPa, 370 kPa, and 40.5 percent, respectively, whereas those of the tendons stress-shielded for 1 week were 299 kPa, 108 kPa, and 40.4 percent, respectively. Stress shielding markedly decreased tangent modulus and tensile strength in the transverse direction, and the decreases were larger than those in the longitudinal direction, which were determined in our previous study. For example, tensile strength in the transverse and longitudinal direction decreased to 29 and 50 percent of each control value, respectively, after 1 week stress shielding. In addition, the stress relaxation in the transverse direction of stress-shielded patellar tendons was much larger than that of non-treated, control ones. In contrast to longitudinal tensile tests for the behavior of collagen, transverse tests reflect the contributions of ground substances such as proteoglycans and mechanical interactions between collagen fibers. Ground substances provide lubrication and spacing between fibers, and also confer viscoelastic properties. Therefore, the results obtained from the present study suggest that ground substance matrix, and interfiber and fiber–matrix interactions have important roles in the remodeling response of tendons to stress.

Links

DOI: 10.1115/1.1319660

PubMed: 11192382

WoS: 000167111300008

History

Received: 1999-05-25

Revised: 2000-06-29

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Cited By (10)

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2003	Lynch HA, Johannessen W, Wu JP, Jawa A, Elliott DM. Effect of fiber orientation and strain rate on the nonlinear uniaxial tensile material properties of tendon. J Biomech Eng. October 2003;125(5):726-731.
2013	Abraham AC. From Meniscus to Bone: Structure and Function of Human Meniscal Entheses and Deleterious Effects of Osteoarthritis [PhD thesis]. Colorado State University; 2013.
2016	Shiovitz DA. Scarless Tendon Healing in MRL/MpJ Mice Suggests Tissue-Driven Mechanisms of Regeneration [PhD thesis]. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; 2016.
2006	Shim JW. Mechanobiology of Soft Tissue Differentiation: Effect of Hydrostatic Pressure [PhD thesis]. Mississippi State University; August 2006.
2006	Hayami J. Development of a Biomimetic Scaffold for Ligament Tissue Engineering [Master's thesis]. Queen's University; November 2006.
2012	Gupta A. Ultra-High Field MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging Characterization of Rabbit Tendons and Ligaments [PhD thesis]. University of Illinois at Chicago; 2012.
2004	Lin TW. Development and Utilization of a Transgenic Mouse Injury Model to Investigate the Role of Interleukin-4 and Interleukin-6 in Tendon Healing [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; 2004.
2005	Guerin HAL. A Nonlinear Anisotropic Continuum Model of Human Annulus Fibrosus Mechanical Behavior [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; 2005.
2008	Andarawis-Puri N. Mechanical Interactions Between the Supraspinatus and Infraspinatus Tendons: Effect of Supraspinatus Tendon Tear, Load, Repair Technique and Joint Position on Strain in the Infraspinatus and Supraspinatus Tendons [PhD thesis]. Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania; 2008.
2022	Doughty C. Biomechanical Investigation of Complete and Partial Medial Collateral Ligament Injuries [Master's thesis]. University of Western Ontario; 2022.