Table 2.
Established rat models of tendon defect
| Tendon(s) | Types of model | Defect procedure | Repair procedure | Timepoints | Objective(s) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supraspinatus tendon | Acute | Bilateral detachment | Mason-Allen-like technique | Week 1, 2, 4, 8 | Effects of carrier vehicles (Paloxamer 407) on tendon healing [34]. |
Advantages: 1. High anatomic similarity to humans. 2. Cartilage degeneration post-injury mimics human pathophysiology. 3. Cost-effective. 4. Easy logistic management. 5. Easy to attain large sample size. Disadvantages: 1. Robust spontaneous tendon healing potentially masks intervention efficacy. 2. Certain anatomical structures differ from human counterparts. 3. Minimal muscular fat accumulation. 4. Small size complicates surgical procedures. |
| Not specified | Week 2, 8, 16 | Effects of post-operative activity level on healing response [35]. | ||||
| Week 4, 8 | Effects of cannulated humeral implant to potentially deliver local bone marrow for improving healing [36]. | |||||
| Unilateral detachment | Mason-Allen technique | Week 2, 4 | Effects of mesenchymal stem cells transduced with scleraxis for the regeneration of tendon–bone insertion site [37]. | |||
| Week 1, 7 | Effect of Achilles bursal tissue implants in tendon-to-bone healing [38]. | |||||
| Modified Mason-Allen technique | Week 2 | Effects of antibiotic treatment with fluoroquinolone on tendon healing [39]. | ||||
| Unilateral transection | Modified Mason-Allen technique | Week 2, 8 | Effects of aging on tendon-to-bone healing [40]. | |||
| Day 5, week 4 | Effects of rhPDGF on rotator cuff repair [41]. | |||||
| Bilateral excision | Mason-Allen technique | Week 3, 6, 12 | Effects of cells from the tendon–bone interface to amplify healing [42]. | |||
| Chronic | Bilateral detachment + 2, 4, 16 weeks delayed repair | Not specified | Week 4, 16 post-surgery | The role of increased repair tension on tendon-to-bone healing [43]. | ||
| Unilateral detachment + 4 weeks delayed repair | Not specified | Week 4, 8 post-surgery | Effects of Rapamycin on tendon-to-bone healing in aging rats [44]. | |||
| Unilateral detachment + denervation | Modified Mason-Allen technique | Week 10, 14, 18 | Effects of adipose-derived cell supplementation on tendon-to-bone healing [45]. | |||
| Unilateral transection + tendon end braiding | Mattress technique | Week 2, 4, 8, 16 | Evaluation of the histologic healing process and mechanical characteristics of the interface between a fascia lata autograft and supraspinatus muscle [46]. | |||
| Persistent impingement by shuttled implant | Not specified | Week 2, 4, 8 | Establishing novel rat models of chronic rotator cuff injuries with a persistent impingement [47]. | |||
| Supraspinatus and infraspinatus tendon | Acute | Unilateral transection | Modified Kessler-loop lock technique | Week 4, 8 | Effects of a synthetic graft with multilayered co-electrospinning nano-scaffolds for bridging rotator cuff tear [48]. | |
| Chronic | Unilateral transection + silicone implants | Not specified | Week 8, 13, 20 | Evaluation of the capability of ultrashort echo time magnetization transfer MRI for the differentiation of injuries and the detection of fibrosis [49]. | ||
| Complete transection + denervation | Not specified | Week 2 | Akt/mTOR activity in muscle atrophy after rotator cuff tears [50]. | |||
| Unilateral detachment + 16 weeks delayed repair | Mason-Allen technique | Week 24, 32 | Efficacy of a novel electroconductive matrix to treat muscle atrophy and fat accumulation [39]. | |||
| Infraspinatus tendon | Chronic | Bilateral detachment + 12 weeks delayed repair | Not specified | Week 2, 4, 8 post-surgery | Effects and mechanism of healthy tendon stem cell-derived exosomes on tendon-to-bone healing in aged rats [51]. | |
| Complete transection + 12 weeks delayed repair | Simple interrupted suture technique | Week 2, 4, 8 post-surgery | Efficacy of healthy tendon stem cell-derived exosomes on promoting tendon-to-bone healing in aged chronic rotator cuff tears [52]. |