Name: biomechanical testing of murine tendons
Uploaded: 2019-10-15T14:30:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons at JoVE.com

The study was supported by the NIH / NIAMS (R01 AR055580, R01 AR057836).

Animal studies were approved by Columbia University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Mice used in this study were of a C57BL/6J background and were purchased from The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME, USA). They were housed in pathogen-free barrier conditions and were provided food and water ad libitum.
1. Development of custom-fit 3D printed fixtures for gripping bone
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	<li>Bone image acquisition and 3D bone model construction
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		<li>Dissect the bone of interest in pr...

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S., Connizzo, B. K., Soslowsky, L. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Collagen+fiber+re-alignment+in+a+neonatal+developmental+mouse+supraspinatus+tendon+model.">Collagen fiber re-alignment in a neonatal developmental mouse supraspinatus tendon model.</a> Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 40, 1102-1110 (2012).</li><li>Cong, G. T., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Evaluating+the+role+of+subacromial+impingement+in+rotator+cuff+tendinopathy:+Development+and+analysis+of+a+novel+murine+model.">Evaluating the role of subacromial impingement in rotator cuff tendinopathy: Development and analysis of a novel murine model.</a> Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 36, 2780-2788 (2018).</li><li>Thomopoulos, S., Birman, V., Genin, G. 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C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+multiscale+structural+and+mechanical+effects+of+mouse+supraspinatus+muscle+unloading+on+the+mature+enthesis.">The multiscale structural and mechanical effects of mouse supraspinatus muscle unloading on the mature enthesis.</a> Acta Biomaterialia. 83, 302-313 (2019).</li><li>Killian, M. L., Thomopoulos, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Scleraxis+is+required+for+the+development+of+a+functional+tendon+enthesis.">Scleraxis is required for the development of a functional tendon enthesis.</a> FASEB Journal. 30, 301-311 (2016).</li><li>Schwartz, A. 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J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Diabetes+Alters+Mechanical+Properties+and+Collagen+Fiber+Re-Alignment+in+Multiple+Mouse+Tendons.">Diabetes Alters Mechanical Properties and Collagen Fiber Re-Alignment in Multiple Mouse Tendons.</a> Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 42, 1880-1888 (2014).</li><li>Eekhoff, J. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Functionally+Distinct+Tendons+From+Elastin+Haploinsufficient+Mice+Exhibit+Mild+Stiffening+and+Tendon-Specific+Structural+Alteration.">Functionally Distinct Tendons From Elastin Haploinsufficient Mice Exhibit Mild Stiffening and Tendon-Specific Structural Alteration.</a> Journal of Biomechanical Engineering. 139, 111003 (2017).</li><li>Mikic, B., Bierwert, L., Tsou, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Achilles+tendon+characterization+in+GDF-7+deficient+mice.">Achilles tendon characterization in GDF-7 deficient mice.</a> Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 24, 831-841 (2006).</li><li>Sikes, K. 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I., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Ibuprofen+differentially+affects+supraspinatus+muscle+and+tendon+adaptations+to+exercise+in+a+rat+model.">Ibuprofen differentially affects supraspinatus muscle and tendon adaptations to exercise in a rat model.</a> American Journal of Sports Medicine. 44, 2237-2245 (2016).</li><li>Galasso, O., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quality+of+Life+and+Functional+Results+of+Arthroscopic+Partial+Repair+of+Irreparable+Rotator+Cuff+Tears.">Quality of Life and Functional Results of Arthroscopic Partial Repair of Irreparable Rotator Cuff Tears.</a> Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery. 33, 261-268 (2017).</li><li>Sarver, D. 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Murine animal models are commonly used to study tendon disorders, but characterization of their mechanical properties is challenging and uncommon in the literature. The purpose of this protocol is to describe a time efficient and reproducible method for tensile testing of murine tendons. The new methods reduced the time required to test a sample from hours to minutes and eliminated a major gripping artifact that was a common problem in previous methods.
Several steps described in this protocol...

Tendon disorders are common and highly prevalent among the aging, athletic, and active populations1,2,3. In the United States, 16.4 million connective tissue injuries are reported each year4 and account for 30% of all injury-related physician office visits3,5,6,7,8. The most commonly affected sites include the rotator cuff, Achilles tendon, and patellar tendon9. Although a variety of non-operative and operative treatments have been explored, including anti-inflammatory drugs, rehabilitation, and surgical repair, outcomes remain poor, with limited return to function and high rates of failure5,6. These poor clinical outcomes have motivated basic and translational studies seeking to understand tendinopathy and to develop novel treatment approaches.
Tensile biomechanical properties are the primary quantitative outcomes defining tendon function. Therefore, laboratory characterization of tendinopathy and treatment efficacy must include a rigorous testing of tendon tensile properties. Numerous studies have described methods to determine the biomechanical properties of tendons from animal models such as rats, sheep, dogs, and rabbits10,11,12. However, few studies have tested the biomechanical properties of murine tendons, primarily due to the difficulties in gripping the small tissues for tensile testing. As murine models have numerous advantages for mechanistically studying tendinopathy, including genetic manipulation, extensive reagent options, and low cost, development of accurate and efficient methods to biomechanically test murine tissues is needed.
In order to properly test the mechanical properties of tendons, the tissue must be gripped effectively, without slipping or artifactual tearing at the grip interface or fracturing of the growth plate. In many cases, particularly for short tendons, the bone is gripped on one end and the tendon is gripped on the other end. Bones are typically secured by embedding them in materials such as epoxy resin13 and polymethylmethacrylate14,15. Tendons are often placed between two layers of sandpaper, glued with cyanoacrylate, and secured using compression clamps (if the cross section is flat) or in a frozen medium (if the cross section is large)15,16,17. These methods have been applied to biomechanically test murine tendons, but challenges arise due to the small size of the specimens and the compliance of the growth plate, which never ossifies18. For example, the diameter of the murine humeral head is only a few millimeters, thus making gripping of the bone difficult. Specifically, tensile testing of murine supraspinatus tendon-to-bone samples often results in failure at the growth plate rather than in the tendon or at the tendon enthesis. Similarly, biomechanical testing of the Achilles tendon is challenging. Although the Achilles tendon is larger than other murine tendons, the calcaneus is small, making gripping of this bone difficult. The bone can be removed, followed by gripping the two tendon ends; however, this precludes the testing of the tendon-to-bone attachment. Other groups report gripping the calcaneus bone using custom-made fixtures19,20, anchoring by clamps21, fixing in self curing plastic cement22 or using a conical shape slot22, yet these prior methods remain limited by low reproducibility, high gripping failure rates, and tedious preparation requirements.
The objective of the current study was to develop an accurate and efficient method for tensile biomechanical testing of murine tendons, focusing on the supraspinatus and Achilles tendons as examples. Using a combination of 3D reconstructions from native bone anatomy, solid modeling, and additive manufacturing, a novel method was developed to grip the bones. These fixtures effectively secured the bones, prevented growth plate failure, decreased specimen preparation time, and increased testing reproducibility. The new method is readily adaptable to test other murine tendons as well as tendons in rats and other animals.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr >
			<td >Agarose</td>
			<td >Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td >BP160-100</td>
			<td >Dissovle 1g in 100 ml ultrapure water to make 1% agarose&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Bruker microCT&#160;</td>
			<td >Bruker BioSpin Corp</td>
			<td >Skyscan 1272&#160;</td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >ElectroForce&#160;</td>
			<td >TA Instruments</td>
			<td >3200</td>
			<td>Testing platform</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Ethanol 200 Proof</td>
			<td >Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td >A4094</td>
			<td>Dilute to 70% and use as suggested in protocol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Fixture to attach grips</td>
			<td >Custom made</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Kimwipes</td>
			<td >Kimberly-Clark</td>
			<td >&#160;S-8115</td>
			<td>As suggested in protocol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >MicroCT CT-Analyser (Ctan)</td>
			<td >Bruker BioSpin Corp</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors for visualizing and analyzing micro-CT scans&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >MilliQ water (Ultrapure water)</td>
			<td>Millipore Sigma</td>
			<td>QGARD00R1 (or related purifier)</td>
			<td>100 ml&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Meshmixer</td>
			<td >Autodesk</td>
			<td >http://www.meshmixer.com/</td>
			<td >Free engineering software used by authors to refine mesh</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Objet EDEN 260VS&#160;</td>
			<td >Stratasys LTD</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Precision Prototyping</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Objet Studio</td>
			<td >Stratasys LTD</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors with 3D printer</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >PBS - Phosphate-Buffered Saline</td>
			<td >ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td >10010031</td>
			<td >2.5 L of 10% PBS&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >S&#38;T Forceps</td>
			<td >Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td >00108-11</td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Scalpel Blade - #11</td>
			<td >Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td >10011-00</td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Scalpel Handle - #3</td>
			<td >Fine Science Tools</td>
			<td >10003-12</td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >SkyScan 1272</td>
			<td >Bruker BioSpin Corp</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors for visualizing and analyzing micro-CT scans&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Skyscan CT-Vox</td>
			<td >Bruker BioSpin Corp</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors for visualizing and analyzing micro-CT scans&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >SkyScan NRecon</td>
			<td >Bruker BioSpin Corp</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors for visualizing and analyzing micro-CT scans&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >SolidWorks CAD</td>
			<td >Dassault Syst&#232;mes</td>
			<td >SolidWorks Research Subsription</td>
			<td>Solid modeling computer-aided design used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >SuperGlue</td>
			<td >Loctite</td>
			<td >234790</td>
			<td>As suggested in protocol</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Testing bath</td>
			<td >Custom made</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >Thin film grips&#160;</td>
			<td >Custom made</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >VeroWhitePlus</td>
			<td >Stratasys LTD</td>
			<td >NA</td>
			<td>3D printing material used by authors</td>
		</tr>
		<tr >
			<td >WinTest&#160;</td>
			<td >WinTest Software</td>
			<td ></td>
			<td>Used by authors to collect data</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

biomechanical testing of murine tendons

Tendon disorders are common, affect people of all ages, and are often debilitating. Standard treatments, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, rehabilitation, and surgical repair, often fail. In order to define tendon function and demonstrate efficacy of new treatments, the mechanical properties of tendons from animal models must be accurately determined. Murine animal models are now widely used to study tendon disorders and evaluate novel treatments for tendinopathies; however, determining the mechanical properties of mouse tendons has been challenging. In this study, a new system was developed for tendon mechanical testing that includes 3D-printed fixtures that exactly match the anatomies of the humerus and calcaneus to mechanically test supraspinatus tendons and Achilles tendons, respectively. These fixtures were developed using 3D reconstructions of native bone anatomy, solid modeling, and additive manufacturing. The new approach eliminated artifactual gripping failures (e.g., failure at the growth plate failure rather than in the tendon), decreased overall testing time, and increased reproducibility. Furthermore, this new method is readily adaptable for testing other murine tendons and tendons from other animals.

3D-printed fixtures were used to test 8-week old murine supraspinatus and Achilles tendons. All mechanically tested samples failed at the enthesis, as characterized by microCT scans, visual inspection, and video analysis after tensile tests. A one-to-one comparison of the previous and current methods for supraspinatus tendon testing in our laboratory is shown in Figure 3. In the previous method28,29,30</s...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons at JoVE.com

Biomechanical Testing of Murine Tendons

The protocol describes efficient and reproducible tensile biomechanical testing methods for murine tendons through the use of custom-fit 3D printed fixtures.

Tendon disorders are common, affect people of all ages, and are often debilitating. Standard treatments, such as anti-inflammatory drugs, rehabilitation, ...

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JoVE Journal

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