Effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on early stages of tendonhealing - A rat patellar tendon model

We studied the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on cell pro liferation, type III collagen expression, ultimate stress and the pyridinol ine content in the early stages of healing in rat patellar tendon. 96 male Sprague Dawley rats were injected with increasing doses of basic fi broblast growth factor (bFGF) at 3 days after a "window defect" was induced in the mid-part of the patellar tendon. They were killed at 7 and 14 days after the injury. A dose dependent increase in the number of proliferating cells and the level of expression of type III collagen was demonstrated at only 7 days post-injury. On the other hand, we found no effects of bFGF on ultimate stress and the pyridinoline content of healing tendons. Only time significantly affected both strength-associated parameters. We showed that in vivo supplementation with bFGF affected the initial event s of healing such as cell proliferation and type III collagen expression.