2025, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (34): 7385-7392

Decellularized tendon scaffold: a biomedical material for tendon injury repair

Yi Xiaoding, Zhang Di, Guo Hong, Qing Liang, Zhao Tianyu   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Due to the lack of blood supply to tendons and the low repair ability of tendon cells, the repair cycle of tendon tissue is long. With the maturity of decellularization technology, decellularized extracellular matrix is receiving increasing attention in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Due to its high activity, low immunogenicity, and ability to support cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation, decellularized tendon scaffolds are expected to promote tendon repair.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the biological characteristics of decellularized tendon scaffolds, elucidate the mechanism by which decellularized tendon scaffolds promote tendon healing, and explain the application methods and future limitations of decellularized tendon scaffolds in combination with other materials.
METHODS: Relevant literature was retrieved from China National Knowledge Infrastructure and PubMed databases using the Chinese search terms “tendon injury, tendon repair, tendon disease, decellularized tendon scaffold” and English search terms “tendon injury, tendon repair, tendinopathy, decellularized tendon scaffold, decellularized tendon scaffolds.” By reading and screening relevant literature, 77 articles were ultimately included for result analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Decellularization technology can be divided into physical treatment, chemical treatment, and biological procedures. (2) Decellularized tendon scaffolds, as a common biomedical material, have certain biocompatibility, biodegradability, and biomechanical properties, which provide a prerequisite and foundation for tendon injury repair. (3) Decellularized tendon scaffolds can alleviate the inflammatory response of tissues, promote the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells/tendon derived stem cells, and maintain the biomechanical properties of tissues. (4) Decellularized tendon scaffolds can be used in combination with other materials, such as electrospinning, hydrogel, stem cell implantation, and 3D printing technology. (5) Future research can further investigate its pathogenic mechanism and improve tendon tissue repair by combining other biomaterials with decellularized tendon scaffold applications.

Key words: tendon injury, tendon repair, tendon healing, decellularized tendon scaffold, decellularized matrix, biomedical material, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, engineered biomaterial, review