Tendon injuries like tendinopathy are a serious healthcare problem in the
United States. However, current treatments for tendon injuries are largely
palliative. Biologics treatments, including tendon stem/progenitor cells (TSCs)
and platelet rich plasma (PRP) hold great potential to effectively treat tendon
injuries. TSCs are tendon specific stem cells and have the ability to
differentiate into tenocytes, the resident tendon cells responsible for tendon
homeostasis and tendon repair in case of an injury. TSCs can also self-renew and
thus can replenish the tendon with tendon cells (TSCs and tenocytes) to maintain
a healthy tendon. The action of PRP can be complementary; PRP can augment and
accelerate tendon healing by supplying abundant growth factors contained in
platelets, and fibrin matrix, which functions as a natural conducive scaffold to
facilitate tissue healing. This article provides a summary of the findings in
recent basic and clinical studies on the applications of TSCs and PRP to the
treatment of tendon injuries. It also outlines the challenges facing their
applications in clinical settings. In particular, the controversy surrounding
the efficacy of PRP treatment for tendon injuries are analyzed and solutions are
suggested.
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