RVC research reveals how ageing may contribute to tendon injuries

In an exciting step towards understanding the cells that regulate tendon function and injury, new research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has identified the different cell groups in horses’ tendons and, established which ones are most affected by ageing. This information will help develop a better understanding of why older horses (and humans) are more prone to tendon injuries and, how best to treat them.

Tendons connect muscle to bone and are essential for skeletal movement. However, tendons are prone to injury, both in humans and horses, with the risk of injury increasing with age. The main type of cells within tendons are called tenocytes. They have been well-researched but, we do not know much about the other types of cells present and, how they are affected by ageing.

Lead researcher, Dr Chavaunne Thorpe, Lecturer in Basic Sciences at the RVC and her post-doctoral research associate Dr Danae Zamboulis, alongside Professor Peter Clegg at the University of Liverpool, Professor Hazel Screen at Queen Mary University of London and Professor Helen Birch at UCL,  set out to identify the different cell populations in horses’ superficial digital flexor tendon, similar in function to the human achilles tendon, and discover which are most affected by ageing.

They used a technique called single cell RNA sequencing to identify the different cell types in superficial digital flexor tendons from both young and old horses.

In total, the research team identified 11 different types of cells. This included several different populations of tenocytes as well as cells associated with blood vessels and the immune system.

Findings concluded that one tenocyte population, and one blood vessel-associated population were particularly affected by ageing, with an altered ability to maintain tendon structure and respond to injury in these cell types.

Identifying and characterising the different cell populations and establishing their function in healthy tendons is the first step to understanding how altered cell function contributes to age-related tendon injury. This work will allow the development of treatments for tendon injury targeted at those cells affected most by ageing.

Reference

Danae E. Zamboulis , Neil Marr , Luca Lenzi , Helen L. Birch , Hazel R. C. Screen , Peter D. Clegg , Chavaunne T. Thorpe. The Interfascicular Matrix of Energy Storing Tendons Houses Heterogenous Cell Populations Disproportionately Affected by Aging. Aging and disease. 2023

https://doi.org/10.14336/AD.2023.0425-1

The full paper is available here: http://www.aginganddisease.org/EN/10.14336/AD.2023.0425-1