Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging

Background: The quadriceps tendon (QT) has recently gained attention as a graft tendon for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction due to its high strength from a larger ultrastructural collagen fibril diameter in children than that of the semitendinosus tendon. While QT collagen fibril diam...

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Main Authors: Yoshihiro Ishida, Yasushi Takata, Tatsuya Ishikawa, Mitsuhiro Kimura, Naoki Takemoto, Manase Nishimura, Noriyuki Ozaki, Satoru Demura, Junsuke Nakase
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-07-01
Series:Asia-Pacific Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation and Technology
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687325000147
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author Yoshihiro Ishida
Yasushi Takata
Tatsuya Ishikawa
Mitsuhiro Kimura
Naoki Takemoto
Manase Nishimura
Noriyuki Ozaki
Satoru Demura
Junsuke Nakase
author_facet Yoshihiro Ishida
Yasushi Takata
Tatsuya Ishikawa
Mitsuhiro Kimura
Naoki Takemoto
Manase Nishimura
Noriyuki Ozaki
Satoru Demura
Junsuke Nakase
author_sort Yoshihiro Ishida
collection DOAJ
description Background: The quadriceps tendon (QT) has recently gained attention as a graft tendon for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction due to its high strength from a larger ultrastructural collagen fibril diameter in children than that of the semitendinosus tendon. While QT collagen fibril diameter increases with growth, changes in older adults remain unclear. This study investigated age-related changes in QT collagen fibril diameter. Methods: Twenty-four patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction using the QT or other knee surgeries were included. QT tissues collected during surgery were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. Collagen fibril diameter was measured in four groups: Immature (11–13 years), Young (15–17 years), Adult (21–50 years), and Older (61–81 years). The average fibril diameter was calculated for each sample. At least four slides (one slide = one digital electron micrographs of the ultrathin section) were evaluated for each specimen, with at least 200 collagen fibrils on each slide. The average number of collagen fibrils measured per specimen was 812 ± 10. Data of the four groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: The mean collagen fibril diameters were 89.7 ± 14.4, 94.8 ± 16.4, 107.2 ± 12.1, and 73.0 ± 9.7 nm in the Immature, Young, Adult, and Older groups, respectively. Although no significant difference was observed between the Immature and Young groups, fibril diameter was significantly larger in the Adult group than in the Young group and significantly smaller in the Older group than in the other groups. Conclusions: The average QT collagen fibril diameter increased with growth but was lower in the Older group, suggesting a decrease with aging.
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publisher Elsevier
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series Asia-Pacific Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation and Technology
spelling doaj-art-485c85bbf479400aad1d08b85142e1062025-08-20T03:58:11ZengElsevierAsia-Pacific Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation and Technology2214-68732025-07-0141202510.1016/j.asmart.2025.06.002Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with agingYoshihiro Ishida0Yasushi Takata1Tatsuya Ishikawa2Mitsuhiro Kimura3Naoki Takemoto4Manase Nishimura5Noriyuki Ozaki6Satoru Demura7Junsuke Nakase8Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Functional Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, 920-8640, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Fukui General Hospital, 58-16-1, Egami-Town, Fukui, 910-8561, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Functional Anatomy, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takara-machi, 920-8640, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, JapanDepartment of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan; Corresponding author.Background: The quadriceps tendon (QT) has recently gained attention as a graft tendon for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction due to its high strength from a larger ultrastructural collagen fibril diameter in children than that of the semitendinosus tendon. While QT collagen fibril diameter increases with growth, changes in older adults remain unclear. This study investigated age-related changes in QT collagen fibril diameter. Methods: Twenty-four patients who had undergone ACL reconstruction using the QT or other knee surgeries were included. QT tissues collected during surgery were analyzed using transmission electron microscopy. Collagen fibril diameter was measured in four groups: Immature (11–13 years), Young (15–17 years), Adult (21–50 years), and Older (61–81 years). The average fibril diameter was calculated for each sample. At least four slides (one slide = one digital electron micrographs of the ultrathin section) were evaluated for each specimen, with at least 200 collagen fibrils on each slide. The average number of collagen fibrils measured per specimen was 812 ± 10. Data of the four groups were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and Tukey's test. Results: The mean collagen fibril diameters were 89.7 ± 14.4, 94.8 ± 16.4, 107.2 ± 12.1, and 73.0 ± 9.7 nm in the Immature, Young, Adult, and Older groups, respectively. Although no significant difference was observed between the Immature and Young groups, fibril diameter was significantly larger in the Adult group than in the Young group and significantly smaller in the Older group than in the other groups. Conclusions: The average QT collagen fibril diameter increased with growth but was lower in the Older group, suggesting a decrease with aging.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687325000147AgingCollagen fibril diameterGraftQuadriceps tendon
spellingShingle Yoshihiro Ishida
Yasushi Takata
Tatsuya Ishikawa
Mitsuhiro Kimura
Naoki Takemoto
Manase Nishimura
Noriyuki Ozaki
Satoru Demura
Junsuke Nakase
Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
Asia-Pacific Journal of Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy, Rehabilitation and Technology
Aging
Collagen fibril diameter
Graft
Quadriceps tendon
title Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
title_full Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
title_fullStr Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
title_full_unstemmed Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
title_short Age-related changes in the quadriceps tendon: Collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
title_sort age related changes in the quadriceps tendon collagen fibril diameter decreases with aging
topic Aging
Collagen fibril diameter
Graft
Quadriceps tendon
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214687325000147
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