A naturally derived, cytocompatible, and architecturally optimized scaffold for tendon and ligament regeneration

Abstract Tissue-engineered tendon scaffolds have the potential to significantly improve the treatment of tendon and ligament injuries, especially those associated with tumors, trauma, and congenital deficiencies where autograft or allograft tissue might not be available in sufficient quantity for reconstruction. In this study, a tendon scaffold was produced that: (1) has decreased/absent cellular material histologically, as well as significantly decreased DNA content in comparison with the material it is derived from—fresh-frozen flexor digitorum profundus tendon; (2) is cytocompatible in vitro; (3) has been modified to produce increased pore size and porosity; (4) retains 76–78% of the tensile properties of the material it is derived from; (5) is readily infiltrated by fibroblast-like, mononuclear host cells; and (6) does not exhibit a host-cell-mediated foreign-body immune response after implantation in vivo.