| INVITED ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2008 | Volume
: 41
| Issue : 1 | Page : 38--46 |
Tissue engineering approaches for the construction of a completely autologous tendon substitute
Franco Bassetto1, Vincenzo Vindigni1, Vedova Alessandro Dalla1, Tonello Carolin2, Abatangelo Giovanni2, Mazzoleni Francesco1
1 Clinic of Plastic Surgery, Department of Medical and Surgical Specialities, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
2 Department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
Correspondence Address:
Franco Bassetto
Clinic of Plastic Surgery, University of Padova, Via Giustiniani 2, 35100 Padova
Italy
DOI: 10.4103/0970-0358.41109 PMID: 19753199
Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that involves the application of the principles and methods of engineering and life sciences towards i) the fundamental understanding of structure-function relationships in normal and pathological mammalian tissues and ii) the development of biological substitutes that restore, maintain or improve tissue function. The goal of tissue engineering is to surpass the limitations of conventional treatments based on organ transplantation and biomaterial implantation. The field of tendon tissue engineering is relatively unexplored due to the difficulty in in vitro preservation of tenocyte phenotype. Only recently has mechanobiology allowed us to gain a better understanding of the fundamental role of in vitro mechanical stimuli in maintaining the phenotype of tendinous tissue. This review analyzes the techniques used so far for in vitro regeneration of tendinous tissue.
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