Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Engineering Tendon Assembloids to Probe Cellular Crosstalk in Disease and Repair
Published on: March 22, 2024
Aging enhances a mechanically-induced reduction in tendon strength by an active process involving matrix
Jayesh Dudhia1, Charlotte M Scott, Edward R C Draper
1Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, Hatfield, Herts AL9 7TA, UK. jdudhia@rvc.ac.uk
Abstract:
Age-associated and degenerative loss of functional integrity in soft tissues develops from effects of cumulative and subtle changes in their extracellular matrix (ECM). The highly ordered tendon ECM provides the tissue with its tensile strength during loading. As age and exercise collide in the high incidence of tendinopathies, we hypothesized that aged tendons fail due to cumulative damage resulting from a combination of diminished matrix repair and fragmentation of ECM proteins induced by prolonged cyclical loading, and that this is an active cell-mediated process. We developed an equine tendon explant model to examine the effect of age on the influence of prolonged cyclical loading at physiologically relevant strain rates (5% strain, 1 Hz for 24 h) on tissue mechanical properties, loss of ECM protein and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) expression. We show significantly diminished mechanical strength of cyclically loaded tissue compared to controls (39.7 +/- 12%, P
Related Concept Videos
Role of Matrix Metalloproteases in Degradation of ECM
A...
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
Bone Disorders
Bone deposition is also affected by the levels of sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone that promote osteoblast activity and bone matrix synthesis. When the level of these hormones decreases due to aging, it causes a reduction in bone deposition. As a result, bone resorption by osteoclasts...
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Extracellular Matrix
Bone Remodeling
