REDUCED COMPLIANCE IN PATELLAR TENDONS FROM A MOUSE MODEL OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY

摘要

Muscular dystrophies are degenerative diseases that affect primarily skeletal muscles. Most studies of muscular dystrophy focus on muscles, but tendons are an important part of the musculotendon complex that transmits forces from muscles to bones. As the disease progresses, tendon shortening occurs, and some patients require tendon release or cord lengthening surgery to increase tendon length [1]. Despite the prevalence of these surgeries, very little is known about the mechanical properties of tendons in muscular dystrophy patients, or how they change as the tendon remodels or compensate in response to muscle degeneration.Mdx mice are a common model for Duchenne and Becker type musclular dystrophy[l]. Using this model we investigate how the mechanical properties of patellar tendons in mdx mice differ from tendons in wild-type mice.