Tendon response to tensile stress: an ultrastructural investigation of collagen:proteoglycan interactions in stressed tendon.

摘要: Tendons are parallel arrays of collagenous fibres which specialised to resist and transmit tensile stresses. The response tendon stress is age-dependent complex. Elastic elongation at low accompanied by the disappearance alternate light dark bands seen in transmitted polarised light. This region stress/strain curve associated with straightening fibre 'crimps'. At higher stress, still elastic reversible until break point reached. behaviour may be a helical arrangement collagen fibrils. In addition fibrils, there transverse longitudinal proteoglycan filaments, many bridge link between We have investigated effect various levels from very up breaking on appearance filaments their relationships Proteoglycan-collagen fibril interactions rat mouse tail flexor digitorum tendons were visualised Cupromeronic blue staining, applied dissected resting state stresses breaking. Proteoglycan orthogonally arranged every D period, probably d band mature tendons. immature took more varied orientations, but mainly orthogonal or axially respect Both pictures appeared unchanged after application any level point. Young ruptured lower than It suggested that PG bridges fibrils play part transmitting resisting tendons, contributing strength tissue.