Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biology, State University of Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas, SP, Brazil.
Injury. 2013 Jul;44(7):884-92. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2012.08.055. Epub 2012 Oct 7.
Tendon lesions are still a serious clinical problem. The leaves of the Bignoniaceae Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl.) B. Verlot. (syn. Bignonia chica (Bonpl.)) have been used in traditional medicine and described in the literature for its healing properties. However, no study has shown the effects of A. chica during tendon healing. The aim of this study was to investigate the healing properties of the A. chica leaves extract on tendons after partial transection.
A partial transection in the tension region of the Achilles tendon of rats was performed with subsequent posterior topical application of A. chica extract (2.13g/mL in 0.85% saline solution) at the site of the injury. The animals (n=154) were separated into 7 groups: N - rats with tendons without transection; S7, S14 and S21 - rats with tendons treated with topical applications of saline for 7 days and sacrificed on the 7th, 14th and 21st days after surgery, respectively; A7, A14 and A21 - rats with tendons treated with topical applications of the plant extract. The transected regions of the tendons were analyzed through biochemical, morphological and functional analyses. To evaluate the type and concentration of collagen, Western blotting for collagen types I and III was performed, and the hydroxyproline concentration was determined. The participation of metalloproteinases (MMP)-2 and -9 during tendon remodelling was investigated through zymography. Gait recovery was analyzed using the catwalk system. The organization of the extracellular matrix and morphometry were detected in sections stained with haematoxylin-eosin.
The application of A. chica extract in the region of tendon injury led to an increase in the amount of hydroxyproline (mg/g tissue) on the 7th (91.5±18.9) and 21st (95.8±11.9) days after the tendon lesion relative to the control groups treated with saline (S7: 75.2±7.2; and S21: 71.9±7.9). There were decreases in collagen types I and III (as determined by densitometry) in the groups treated with the plant extract 7 days after injury (type I: 103.9±15.9; type III: 206.3±8.1) compared to the saline-treated groups (type I: 165.2±31.1; type III: 338.6±48.8). The plant extract stimulated the synthesis of MMP-2 on the 21st day after the lesion and decreased the amount of latent and active isoforms of MMP-9 on the 14th day. Analysis by the catwalk system (max contact intensity) showed that the A. chica extract improved the gait of rats on the 7th day of the healing process when compared to the saline group.
The use of A. chica extract during the healing process of the tendon leads to an increase in collagen content and improved gait recovery. Further studies will be performed to analyze the effect of this plant extract on the organization of the collagen bundles of tendons after lesions and to study its probable anti-inflammatory effect.
肌腱损伤仍然是一个严重的临床问题。紫葳科 Arrabidaea chica（Humb. & Bonpl.）B. Verlot.（又名 Bignonia chica（Bonpl.））的叶子在传统医学中被使用，并在文献中被描述具有愈合特性。然而，尚无研究表明 A. chica 在肌腱愈合过程中的作用。本研究旨在研究 A. chica 叶提取物对肌腱部分横断后的愈合特性。
在大鼠跟腱张力区进行部分横断，随后在损伤部位局部应用 A. chica 提取物（2.13g/mL 的 0.85%生理盐水溶液）。将动物（n=154）分为 7 组：N - 未进行肌腱横断的大鼠；S7、S14 和 S21 - 分别用生理盐水处理 7 天的大鼠，于手术后第 7、14 和 21 天处死；A7、A14 和 A21 - 用植物提取物处理的大鼠。通过生化、形态和功能分析来分析肌腱的横断区域。为了评估胶原的类型和浓度，通过 I 型和 III 型胶原的 Western blot 进行分析，并测定羟脯氨酸浓度。通过明胶酶谱法研究了金属蛋白酶（MMP）-2 和 -9 在肌腱重塑过程中的参与情况。使用猫道系统分析步态恢复情况。用苏木精-伊红染色的切片检测细胞外基质的组织和形态计量学。
在肌腱损伤区域应用 A. chica 提取物导致羟脯氨酸（mg/g 组织）的含量在损伤后第 7 天（91.5±18.9）和第 21 天（95.8±11.9）时增加，与用生理盐水处理的对照组相比（S7：75.2±7.2；和 S21：71.9±7.9）。受伤后第 7 天，用植物提取物处理的组中 I 型和 III 型胶原（通过密度测定法确定）减少（I 型：103.9±15.9；III 型：206.3±8.1），与用生理盐水处理的组相比（I 型：165.2±31.1；III 型：338.6±48.8）。植物提取物在损伤后第 21 天刺激 MMP-2 的合成，并在第 14 天减少潜伏和活性形式的 MMP-9 的量。通过猫道系统（最大接触强度）分析表明，与生理盐水组相比，A. chica 提取物在愈合过程的第 7 天改善了大鼠的步态。
在肌腱愈合过程中使用 A. chica 提取物可增加胶原含量并改善步态恢复。将进行进一步的研究以分析该植物提取物对损伤后肌腱胶原束组织的影响，并研究其可能的抗炎作用。
