Effects of frozen storage temperature on the elasticity of tendons from a small murine model

Goh, K. L., Chen, Y., Chou, S. M., Listrat, A., Bechet, D. and Wess, Timothy James 2010. Effects of frozen storage temperature on the elasticity of tendons from a small murine model. Animal 4 (9) , pp. 1613-1617. 10.1017/S1751731110000698

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Abstract

The basic mechanism of reinforcement in tendons addresses the transfer of stress, generated by the deforming proteoglycan (PG)-rich matrix, to the collagen fibrils. Regulating this mechanism involves the interactions of PGs on the fibril with those in the surrounding matrix and between PGs on adjacent fibrils. This understanding is key to establishing new insights on the biomechanics of tendon in various research domains. However, the experimental designs in many studies often involved long sample preparation time. To minimise biological degradation the tendons are usually stored by freezing. Here, we have investigated the effects of commonly used frozen storage temperatures on the mechanical properties of tendons from the tail of a murine model (C57BL6 mouse). Fresh (unfrozen) and thawed samples, frozen at temperatures of −20°C and −80°C, respectively, were stretched to rupture. Freezing at −20°C revealed no effect on the maximum stress (σ), stiffness (E), the corresponding strain (ε) at σ and strain energy densities up to ε (u) and from ε until complete rupture (up). On the other hand, freezing at −80°C led to higher σ, E and u; ε and up were unaffected. The results implicate changes in the long-range order of radially packed collagen molecules in fibrils, resulting in fibril rupture at higher stresses, and changes to the composition of extrafibrillar matrix, resulting in an increase in the interaction energy between fibrils via collagen-bound PGs.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Optometry and Vision Sciences
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RE Ophthalmology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	frozen storage temperature ; strength ; stiffness; strain energy ; collagen
Additional Information:	Pdf uploaded in accordance with publisher's policy at http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/issn/1751-7311/ (accessed 20/02/2014).
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
ISSN:	1751-7311
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	02 May 2023 16:39
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/12912

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