Immunohistochemical features of rotator cuff tendinopathy

AbstractBackgroundRotator cuff tendinopathy is a common musculoskeletal ailment in sedentary and athletic individuals. Various mediators of inflammation have been detected in human tendons: they are thought to initiate or progress the course of tendinopathy.Sources of dataAn online search was conducted using AMED, CINAHL, Embase, The Cochrane Library, PEDro and Pubmed, using the terms tendinopathy, tendon, tendinitis, tendinosis, histology, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, immunohistochemical, rotator cuff and pain.Areas of agreementHistological examination of tendinopathic tendons shows degeneration of the collagen structure and infiltration of fat and vessels, together with increased expression of inflammatory cytokines, MMP-1, 2, 3, 9, 13, vascular endothelial growth factor and Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF).Areas of controversyMost of the studies about this topic exhibited limited validity because of lack of appropriately matched controls and no inclusion or exclusion criteria. The evidence associated with the histopathological analysis of the rotator cuff is limited.Growing pointsThe histochemical and immunohistochemical features of rotator cuff tendinopathy are still unclear. A thorough understanding of the vascularity, innervation and biochemical mediators of pain could be used to target rotator cuff pathology, and possibly guide the therapy of painful rotator cuff disorders.Areas timely for developing researchThere is a need for a validated reproducible method of...
Source: British Medical Bulletin - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research