FIGURE 4.

Mechanics from engineered ligaments treated with PRE or serum isolated 1 h after ingestion of 5 or 15 g vitamin C–enriched gelatin or a placebo control. The (A) CSA of the engineered ligament as well as the (B) MTL, (C) modulus, and (D) UTS of the engineered ligaments were determined after 6 d of treatment with media that were supplemented with 10% of the subject-derived serum. The data are presented as means ± SEMs for 6 constructs treated with the serum from a representative subject. These results were consistent with the use of serum from the 4 subjects who were tested by using this bioassay. *Significant difference from blood before exercise, P < 0.05. CSA, cross-sectional area; MTL, maximal tensile load; PRE, blood taken before supplementation; UTS, ultimate tensile strength.