The musculoskeletal system provides the body with both movement and support. In particular, contractile forces developed in the muscles are transmitted through the muscle-tendon junction (MTJ) into the tendon and then through the tendon-bone insertion into the bone. Each junction occurs between two dissimilar materials (muscle-to-tendon and tendon-to-bone) and neither is fully understood. The current study analyzes the relationship between the tissue microstructure and macro-scale biomechanical properties of the muscle-tendon-bone unit to better understand the anisotropic mechanical behavior of the tissue. Collagen content was assayed at various locations along the porcine digital flexor tendon. Collagen concentration as a percent of the wet weight in the bone end was found to be 20.4±5.2% (n=6), the mid tendon to be 20.6±5.3% (n=6), and the muscle end to be 25.2±3.6% (n=4). No statistical differences were found between these collagen concentrations.
Additionally, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to report cross-sectional stress-strain data for the muscle-tendon-bone unit. Results indicate that the tendon cross-sectional stiffness increases from the proximal end to the distal end. However, no direction dependent anisotropies were found between the mediolateral and dorsopalmar directions. Effects of microstructural components, such as glycosaminoglycans and collagen, and phenomenon such as fibril sliding and cross-linking, are discussed in relation to the reported cross-section stress-strain response. This work provides a synergistic approach for quantifying biomechanical and biochemical properties of biological tissue, and potentially facilitates the development of tissue engineered MTJ and tendon-bone insertion.
