title: The early surface cell response to flexor tendon injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The migratory response of surface fibroblasts to flexor tendon injury was studied by their selective labeling with a vital dye.
  
  
  METHODS
  The surfaces of 30 rat deep flexor tendons were bathed in 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine percholate (DiI), a vital dye for 5 minutes. The residual dye was removed by thorough irrigation. A partial tenotomy was made in the stained section by cutting out a central window. Semiquantitative cell counts and position of stained fibroblasts were noted by examination under fluorescent light at 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The surface fibroblasts readily took up the vital dye at day 0. By day 1 dyed cells had moved into the cut. By day 3 they had migrated laterally into the core substance of the tendon. Core dyed cell counts at days 1, 3, 5, and 7 were significantly different compared with day 0 core dyed cell counts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This cell migration from the surface of the cut to the tendon core is likely to be vital in the early stages of tendon healing.
authors.affiliation: RAFT Institute of Plastic Surgery, The Leopold Muller Building, Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood, Middlesex, UK.
authors.forename: Martin E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mudera
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Alison D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Cambrey
authors.forename: Adriaan O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Grobbelaar
authors.forename: D Angus
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: McGrouther
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002232:Carbocyanines; D002452:Cell Count; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D006614:Hindlimb; D006652:Histological Techniques; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013710:Tendons / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D002232:Carbocyanines; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C024286:3,3'-dioctadecylindocarbocyanine