Ageing may contribute to tendon injuries

New research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has identified the different cell populations in horses' tendons and established which cells are most affected by ageing. These findings will help develop a better understanding of why older horses (and humans) are more prone to tendon injuries and inform future treatments. Tendons connect muscle to bone and are essential for skeletal movement. However, tendons are prone to injury, both in humans and horses, and the risk of injury increases with ageing. The cells within tendons are responsible for maintaining tendon structure by repairing any damage within the tendon. The main type of cells in tendons are called tenocytes, which are well-researched yet, little is known about other types of cells present and how they are affected by ageing. Lead researcher, Dr Chavaunne Thorpe, Lecturer in Basic Sciences at the RVC and her post-doctoral research associate Dr Danae Zamboulis, alongside Professor Peter Clegg at the University of Liverpool, Professor Hazel Screen at Queen Mary University of London and Professor Helen Birch at UCL, set out to identify the different cell populations in horses' superficial digital flexor tendon, similar in function to the human Achilles tendon, and discover which are most affected by ageing.