Tissue Eng Regen Med.  2019 Oct;16(5):467-477. 10.1007/s13770-019-00217-8.

Biomaterials for the Treatment of Tendon Injury

• Kim SE
• Kim JG
• Park K

• KMID: 2464067
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1007/s13770-019-00217-8

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Most tendon injuries are occurring from a gradual wearing and tearing of the tendon tissues from overuse. Such injuries are usually seen in sports, exercising, or daily activities that involve a high mechanical load and weight bearing. However, owing to the lack of both cellularity and blood vessels in tendons, the process of tendon repair is slow and inefficient. Although various conservative (non-surgical) and surgical management options are conducted by the clinicians, a gold standard of these approaches does not exist. In this regard, the treatment of tendon injuries is challenging.
METHODS
Here, we describe the recent advances of biomaterial-based approaches for the treatment of injured tendons.
RESULTS
Regenerative medicine is an emerging multidisciplinary research that specializes in the repair of damaged tendon tissues through the delivery of regenerative factors by biomaterials.
CONCLUSION
Although current biomaterial-based treatment strategies have shown their potential for tendon healing, future research and clinical applications should focused on finding the optimum combinations of regenerative factors with ideal biomaterials for the repair of tendons.

Keyword

Tendon healing; Delivery; Biomaterials; Regenerative factor; Blood vessel

MeSH Terms

Biocompatible Materials*
Blood Vessels
Regenerative Medicine
Sports
Tears
Tendon Injuries*
Tendons*
Weight-Bearing
Biocompatible Materials