Publication Date

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Committee Members

Ji Chen Bihl (Committee Member), Gregory Paul Boivin (Committee Member), David R. Cool (Advisor)

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Abstract

Tendon injuries pose a great clinical challenge to orthopedic surgeons. Over 200,000 patients undergo tendon repair every year in the United States alone. The role of progression of a tendon injury is multifactorial as a lot of factors come into play during and after the injury at various phases of healing process. There is a still a vast requirement for thorough elucidation and understanding of the pathophysiology and the factors involved in the progression of tendon injury. Although the degenerative role of several MMPs and ADAMTs have been reported, yet there is very less information on the actual role and function of the various types of collagen in tendons and their response to the above factors, particularly after an injury and during the healing and repair phases. Our results indicate that there is a lot of variability in the levels of collagen types I, III and V in relation to the age of the animal, injury and the healing period. This might not be any surprising as the fluctuation in the levels indicate that there might be a different mechanisms involved in progression and healing of the injuries in young and old rabbits, at various phases of healing.

Page Count

66

Department or Program

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology

Year Degree Awarded

2015


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