Strategies for promoting tendon-bone healing: Current status and prospects

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Jan 27:11:1118468. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1118468. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Tendon-bone insertion (TBI) injuries are common, primarily involving the rotator cuff (RC) and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). At present, repair surgery and reconstructive surgery are the main treatments, and the main factor determining the curative effect of surgery is postoperative tendon-bone healing, which requires the stable combination of the transplanted tendon and the bone tunnel to ensure the stability of the joint. Fibrocartilage and bone formation are the main physiological processes in the bone marrow tract. Therefore, therapeutic measures conducive to these processes are likely to be applied clinically to promote tendon-bone healing. In recent years, biomaterials and compounds, stem cells, cell factors, platelet-rich plasma, exosomes, physical therapy, and other technologies have been widely used in the study of promoting tendon-bone healing. This review provides a comprehensive summary of strategies used to promote tendon-bone healing and analyses relevant preclinical and clinical studies. The potential application value of these strategies in promoting tendon-bone healing was also discussed.

Keywords: anterior cruciate ligament; cell factor; exosome; platelet-rich plasma; rotator cuff; stem cells; tendon-bone healing; tendon-bone insertion.

Publication types

  • Review