The long head of the biceps tendon is a suitable cell source for tendon tissue regeneration

Tendon tissue engineering (TTE) tries to produce tendinous tissue of high quality to replace dysfunctional tissue. One possible application of TTE might be the replacement of ruptured tissue of the rotator cuff. Autologous tenocytes seem to be most suitable as no differentiation in vitro is necessary. Today it is still uncertain if there is a difference between tendon-derived cells (TDC) of different native tissues. Moreover, the search for suitable scaffolds is another important issue in TTE.

This study compared TDC of the long head of the biceps tendon (LHB), the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and the tendon of the musculus semitendinosus (TMS). The TDC were isolated using the cell migration method. Cell morphology was assessed using light microscopy and gene expression was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Afterwards, cell seeding efficiency and proliferation were tested on a collagen I scaffold using the WST-1 assay. Results were confirmed using H + E staining.

The TDC of the LHB showed higher expression levels of collagen type I and decorin (p < 0.01) compared to TDC of other origin. Results showed efficient cell seeding and proliferation within the scaffold. Proliferation within the scaffold was not as high as when cells were cultivated without a scaffold.

The TDC of the LHB seems to be the most suitable cell source. Further research is necessary to find out if the results can be transferred to an in vivo model. The new collagen I scaffold seems to offer an opportunity to combine good biocompatibility and mechanical strength.