Mechanical changes in rat tail tendons induced by dibasic amino acids as a function of age

Rat tail tendons from 54-day-old and 900-day-old animals were incubated with different concentrations of the dibasic amino acids, lysine and arginine. We observed a significant incorporation of these amino acids into the tendons. Uniaxial tension tests and relaxation experiments were performed at strain levels within the linear portion of the stress-strain relationship. The incorporation of the amino acids resulted in a decrease of ultimate stress and maximum Young's modulus and, after separation of the elastic and viscous stress components, in a decrease of the elastic fraction. The incorporation of amino acids and the resulting mechanical alterations were more pronounced in the young animals. The reversibility of the effects induced by the amino acids was tested. After the glycosaminoglycan chains were digested with chondroitinase ABC, we showed that the dibasic amino acids bind predominantly to the proteoglycan matrix. A possible analogy to the effects of amino acid incorporation on biomechanics and swelling with a monovalent cation such as Na+ is discussed.