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In Vitro System for Applying Cyclic Loads to Connective Tissues Under Displacement or Force Control

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Abstract

Overuse is thought to be the primary cause of chronic tendon injuries, in which forceful or repetitive loading results in an accumulation of micro-tears leading to a maladaptive repair response. In vitro organ culture models provide a useful method for examining how specific loading patterns affect the cellular response to load which may explain the early mechanisms of tissue injury associated with tendinopathies and ligament injuries. We designed a novel tissue loading system which employs closed-loop force feedback, capable of loading six tissue samples independently under force or displacement control. The system was capable of applying loads up to 40 N at rates of 100 N s−1 and frequencies of 2 Hz, well above loads and rates measured in rabbit tendons in vivo. Loading parameters such as amplitude, rate, and frequency can be controlled while biomechanical factors such as creep, force relaxation, tangent modulus and Young’s modulus can be assessed. The system can be used to examine the relationship between each loading parameter and biomechanical factors of connective tissues maintained in culture which may provide useful information regarding the etiology of overuse injuries.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge Xing Chen and Alan Barr for their contributions to this study. Funding for this study was provided by the Centers for Disease and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Training Grant (5T42OH008429).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ergonomics Program, Department of Bioengineering, University of California at Berkeley, 1301 South 46th Street, Building 163, Richmond, CA, 94804, USA

    Krishna R. Asundi, Kathy Kursa, Jeff Lotz & David M. Rempel

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  1. Krishna R. Asundi
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  2. Kathy Kursa
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  3. Jeff Lotz
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  4. David M. Rempel
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Correspondence to David M. Rempel.

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Asundi, K.R., Kursa, K., Lotz, J. et al. In Vitro System for Applying Cyclic Loads to Connective Tissues Under Displacement or Force Control. Ann Biomed Eng 35, 1188–1195 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-007-9295-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-007-9295-9

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