Abstract: Plug N Play: Auto-Assembly of a Hierarchical Vasculature in a Tissue Engineered Scaffold

METHODS: Thirty-six male Sprague–Dawley rats aged 7 weeks were divided into two groups. The Achilles tendon was transected and repaired with modified Kessler’s method. In the experimental group (n = 18), the rats received daily intraperitoneal administration of PDRN (8mg/kg/day for 1, 2, 4 weeks). The control groups received same amount intraperitoneal injections of the normal saline. The rats were sacrificed at one, two and four weeks and repair site tissues were harvested. The harvested tissues were evaluated with digital calipers to measure the cross-sectional area and a mechanical testing machine for biomechanical properties. The presence of collagen type I, collagen type III, transforming growth factor β1, fibroblast growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor were confirmed by immunohistochemistry. For immunohistochemical analyses, each immunohistochemical evaluation was scored on a point-based system. Statistical analyses were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test.