Impaired function of tendon-derived stem cells in experimental diabetes mellitus rat tendons: implications for cellular mechanism of diabetic tendon disorder

BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) often suffered with many musculoskeletal disorders, such as tendon rupture and tendinopathy. However, the understanding of the pathogenesis of these alternations is limited. This study was designed to investigate the role of tendon-derived stem cells (TDSCs) in histopathological alterations of DM tendons. METHODS: Forty-two SD rats were randomly and equally divided into a diabetes group (DG) and control group (CG). DM was induced by streptozotocin (65 mg/kg). The patellar tendons were isolated at weeks 1, 2, and 4 for histological analysis. TDSCs were isolated at week 2 for osteo-chondrogenic differentiation analysis. Mann-Whitney U test was used with SPSS. p < 0.050 was statistically significant. RESULTS: Micro-tears of collagen fibers and altered appearance of tendon cells were observed in DG tendons. DG tendons exhibited significantly higher expression of OPN, OCN, SOX9, and Col II and decreased expression of Col I and tenomodulin (TNMD) at week 2. Diabetic TDSCs (dTDSCs) demonstrated significantly decreased proliferation ability and increased osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation ability. Osteo-chondrogenic markers BMP2, ALP, OPN, OCN, Col II, and SOX9 were also significantly increased while tenogenic markers Col I and TNMD were decreased in dTDSCs. CONCLUSION: These results suggested the erroneous differentiation of dTDSCs might account for the structural and non-tenogenic alternations in DM tendons, which provided new cues for the pathogenesis of tendon disorders in DM. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-1108-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.