Tendon rupture affects a large part of the population in special seniors and athletes.The repair process requires more studies which can indicate the possibility of new treatments. The ascorbic acid (AA) is a well known substance by its requirement for proline and lysine hydroxylase activity during the collagen synthesisis and the efficiency of this vitamin for various treatments, because of its antioxidant properties. So, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the local treatments effects with this substance on tissue and functional repair the Achilles tendon from rats. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the institution (CEPAE-UFPA) according to the license 161-13. The animals were submitted to rupture of Achilles tendon, divided into three groups (n=27): control, injury+AA (30 mM), injury+vehicle (0.9% NaCl). All treatments were performed by local injection, from the second day after injury and every other day until day 14 or 21. The walk of the animals was assessed by functional index of Achilles (IFA) on days 7(n=6), 14(n=6) e 21(n=3), cells number was assessed by staining with DAPI and tissue organization by staining with HE and autofluorescence, at 14(n=9) and 21(n=9) days of injury. The animals did not differ in body mass gain. The injury+AA group (-39.51±15.3) showed functional improvement especially at day 14 when compared to the injury+vehicle (-89.22±16.57, p<0.01). The histological examination demonstrated in counting the number of cells that the injury+AA group (762±29.6) showed a smaller number of cells on day 21 (762±29.6) in relation to the groups injury+vehicle (916±57.0, p<0.01). The analysis of autofluorescence of collagen and HE showed that the injury+AA group achieved better ECM organization on day 14 and 21 in relation to the groups injury+vehicle, in turn, differs significantly from the control group. Our results suggest that AA accelerates the healing process of tendon injury, presenting tissue and functional improvements 21 days after injury.
|
