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Updated: Aug 17, 2026

Engineering Tendon Assembloids to Probe Cellular Crosstalk in Disease and Repair
Published on: March 22, 2024
Molecular events in tendinopathy: a role for metalloproteases
Merzesh Magra1, Nicola Maffulli
1Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, Keele University School of Medicine, Thornburrow Drive, Hartshill, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7QB Staffordshire, UK.
Abstract:
Disorganized, haphazard ineffective healing is a constant feature of chronic tendinopathy. Normal tendon is composed mostly of type I collagen. Tendinopathic tendons, conversely, have a greater proportion of type III collagen, which is associated with tendon rupture. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are involved in remodelling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of tendons, because they are either up- or down-regulated in tendinopathy. A balance between MMPs and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases is required to maintain tendon homeostasis. The mechanism of activation of MMPs is poorly understood, and their precise role in tendinopathy is unclear.
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