Regenerative Medicine for Tendon/Ligament Injuries: De Novo Equine Tendon/Ligament Neotissue Generation and Application

Abstract

Tendon and ligament injuries are debilitating conditions across species. Poor regenerative capacities of these tissues limit restoration of original functions. The first study of this dissertation evaluated the effect of cellular administration on tendon/ligament injuries in horses using meta-analysis. The findings led to the second study that engineered implantable de novo tendon neotissue using equine adipose-derived multipotent stromal cells and collagen type I. The neotendon was evaluated for its biocompatibility and therapeutic potential in the third study using immunocompetent and immunocompromised rat bilateral calcaneal tendon elongation model. The fourth study investigated the therapeutic effects of neotendon in surgically-induced non-terminal equine accessory ligament of deep digital flexor tendon injury model.