Regional differences in turnover, composition, and mechanics of the porcine flexor tendon.

Recent data suggest that there is a lack of turnover in the core of human tendon, but it remains unknown whether there are regional differences between core and periphery of the cross section. The purpose of this project was to investigate regional differences in turnover as estimated by the accumulation of fluorescent Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) and regional differences in mechanical properties. Tendons were obtained from lean control ( Autofluorescence was greater in the proximal than the distal part. In the distal part of the lean control animals, autofluorescent AGE accumulation was also greater in the core than the periphery. Peak modulus in the core region (704 ± 79 MPa) was higher than the periphery (466 ± 53 MPa, Taken together, autofluorescence varied both along the length and across the tendon cross section, indicating higher turnover in the distal and peripheral regions. In addition, mechanical properties differed across the tendon cross-section.