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Novel use of a three‐dimensional in vitro environment; does flexor and extensor tendon cell behavior differ?
Author(s) -
Stanley Rachael Louise,
Carolin Amy Miriam,
Agabalyan Natasha Anahid,
Evans Darrell John Rhys
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.749.15
Subject(s) - tendon , extracellular matrix , anatomy , in vitro , cell , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , biomedical engineering , medicine , genetics
Flexor tendons commonly suffer strain‐related injuries that are challenging to treat. Extensor tendons rarely suffer such damage. Investigating the differences between these tendon types may help us develop new treatments. Traditional 2‐dimensional culture of tendon cells does not appear to adequately replicate the 3D structure of tendons; therefore we investigated the differences of chick flexor and extensor tendon cell behavior in 2D and 3D environments. By creating cylindrical collagen gel structures seeded with separate cell types, we examined cell morphology and extracellular matrix (ECM) protein expression. Results demonstrated that in a 3D environment, both cell types and ECM proteins were arranged in the direction of tension; a pattern similar to tendons in vivo . Our results show that use of a 3D gel construct is an easy and reproducible method for future in vitro tendon research. To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare flexor and extensor cells in a 3D environment. Funded by The Leverhulme Trust, The Wellcome Trust and Brighton and Sussex Medical School. Grant Funding Source : N/A