The rotator cuff is composed of the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subcapularis, and teres minor tendons. Rotator cuff injuries are common athletic and occupational injuries that surgery cannot fully repair. Therefore tendon tissue engineering can provide alternatives to surgical solutions. Tendons are composed of parallel lines of bundles of collagen fibers and fibroblasts called fascicles and a glycoprotein, superficial zone protein (SZP), which is expressed by the gene, proteoglycan 4 (PRG4) may play a role in joint and intrafascicular lubrication. Studies have shown that a smooth muscle actin isoform (SMA), which plays a role in the contraction of smooth muscle cells, is expressed in the rotator cuff tendon cells. Previous investigations have been conducted to study PRG4 expression and distribution in different regions of the infraspinatus (ISP) tendon. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavior of adult goat ISP tendon cells and bovine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) cultured in three-dimensional pellets in chondrogenic (CM), expansion (EM), and tenogenic media(TM).
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