Abstract
Background - To evaluate biological strategies that enhance tendon-bone healing in humans, it is imperative that suitable animal models accurately reproduce the pathological changes observed in the clinical setting following a tear. The purpose of the present study was to investigate rotator cuff degeneration in a rat, as well as assess the development of osteopenia at the enthesis following tendon detachment.
Methods - Eighteen female Wistar rats underwent unilateral detachment of the supraspinatus tendon. Specimens were retrieved at 4 weeks (n = 6), 6 weeks (n = 6) and 9 weeks (n = 6) postoperatively for histological analysis and peripheral quantitative computer tomography.
Results - Three weeks following tendon detachment, there was a significant increase in the modified Movin score, characterized by a loss of muscle mass, fatty infiltration, an increase in musculotendinous cellularity, loss of normal collagen fibre structure/arrangement, rounded tenocyte nuclei and an increase in the number of vascular bundles. This was accompanied by a reduction in bone mineral density at the tendon insertion site. After 3 weeks however, these changes were less prominent.
Conclusions - The rotator cuff tendon-muscle-bone unit in a rat model 3 weeks after detachment of supraspinatus represents a valid model for investigating rotator cuff degeneration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 178-187 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Shoulder and Elbow |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 8 Mar 2017 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Jul 2017 |
Keywords
- Animal model
- rotator cuff
- tendon-bone healing
- tendon degeneration