The Multicomposite Structure of Tendon

Abstract

A revised morphological model for the crimp structure of tendon is presented. The 300-500 mu diameter tendons of the mature rat tail are comprised of from one to more than ten substructures, called fascicles, of 80-320 mu diameter. Fascicles each possess a "crimp structure" demonstrable in the polarizing microscope and neighboring fascicles within a tendon usually exhibit crimp registry. The fascicle itself is shown to be a cylindrical array of planar-zig-zag crimped 500-5000 A diameter collagen fibrils. The approximate cylindrical symmetry of the fascicle is domonstrated by SEM not equal to and polarizing optical microscopy. A method of replacing native water with other liquids of refractive index near to that of collagen is utilized to reduce or eliminate light diffusion and therby greatly improve OM observations. Small bunches of collagen fibrils removed from the tendon are shown to exhibit the simple planar zig-zag morphology described in previous literature. The planar crimping of collagen fibrils and their assemblage into cylindrically symmetric fascicles is verified by small angle X-ray diffraction.

Strain rate dependent properties of younger human cervical spine ligaments

“…The fascicles are then grouped and enclosed in a reticular membrane to form a tendon or ligament (Kastelic et al, 1978;Fung, 1993). substance is comprised of elastin, reticulin and a hydrophilic gel called ground substance (Fung, 1993).…”

Chronic tendon pathology: molecular basis and therapeutic implications

“…In general, tendon consists of successively larger structural units assembled in a highly ordered hierarchy of collagen molecules, microfibrils, subfibrils, fibrils, fibres and fascicles (fibre bundles) (Ref. 21) (Fig. 1).…”

Remarks on the Hierarchical Organization of Fibers

“…All or some of these slender, fibrillar objects may be physically and conceptually discernible entities; the fluctuation in the transverse dimension must then be small. A fibrillar hierarchy is often witnessed in natural materials [1][2] like collagen [3][4][5][6] and elastin 7 fibers. Synthetic fibers spun from liquid-crystalline polymers have also been characterized in terms of a hierarchical structure involving microfibrils.…”