title: Regeneration techniques for bone-to-tendon and muscle-to-tendon interfaces reconstruction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The complex structure of the bone-tendon and muscle-tendon junctions makes their reproduction for tissue engineering applications very difficult. Relatively few studies have investigated the characteristics of these regions from a tissue engineering view point.
  
  
  METHODS
  PubMed, Thomson Reuters, Scopus and Google Scholar databases were searched using various combinations of the keywords 'Tendon', 'Myotendinous junction', 'Osteotendinous junction', 'Tissue engineering' and 'Scaffold'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The available studies can be divided according to whether the objective is to build an entire composite tissue unit or to assist the recreation of interfaces, such as improving integration of autografts with the surrounding bone or with the muscle. The most used techniques are based on the electrospinning and the self-reorganized constructs process, which were applied to both bone-to-tendon junction (BTJ) and muscle-to-tendon junction (MTJ) regeneration. The use of nanofibers that mimic the hierarchical structure of the extracellular matrix (ECM), eventually functionalized by encapsulation of bioactive components, allowed cell attachment and differentiation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There have been no translational investigations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a need to devise suitable techniques that allow suitable tissue engineering of BTJ and MTJ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Appropriately planned studies are needed to translate tissue engineering from a scientific challenge to a clinically applicable technique.
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, Fisciano, SA 84084, Italy.
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baldino
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, Fisciano, SA 84084, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cardea
authors.affiliation: Department of Musculoskeletal Disorders, Faculty of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Salerno, Via Salvatore Allende, Baronissi, SA 84081, Italy Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4DG, UK n.maffulli@qmul.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maffulli
authors.affiliation: Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, Fisciano, SA 84084, Italy NANO_MATES, Research Centre for Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, Fisciano, SA 84084, Italy.
authors.forename: Ernesto
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reverchon
mesh_terms: D001861:Bone Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology; D013708:Tendon Injuries / Q000601:surgery; D013710:Tendons / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology
keywords: bone–tendon junction; muscle–tendon junction; scaffold; tendon; tissue engineering