Telomere length of anterior crucial ligament after rupture : similar telomere length in injured and noninjured ACL portions

• The regeneration of ligaments following injury is a slow process compared to the healing of many other tissues and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the proliferative potential of ligaments by assessing telomere length within three distinct parts of human anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) obtained during ACL reconstruction: the macroscopically injured proximal part and macroscopically noninjured mid- and distal portions in eight subjects (age 28 +/- 8 years). The mean telomere length in ACL was within normal range of values usually reported for other tissues indicating that the endogenous machinery responsible for the proliferative potential of ligament is not implicated in its poor healing capacity. The three ACL parts showed similar mean TRF lengths (distal part: 11.5 +/- 0.8 kbp, mid-portion: 11.8 +/- 1.2 kbp, proximal part: 11.9 +/- 1.6 kbp) and there was no relationship between mean telomere length in ACL and the healing duration after rupture. This implies that despite the occurrence of ligament repair including a phase of intense cell proliferation the proliferative potential of ruptured ACL is not impaired. This knowledge is important for scientists and clinicians aiming to understand the mechanisms behind the low healing capacity of ligament.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Idrottsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Sport and Fitness Sciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

regeneration

ligament healing

injury

telomere

proliferation

Sports

Idrott

Sports Science

Idrottsvetenskap

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)