Collagen Coating Improves In Vitro Tenocyte Interaction With Suture Tape for Ligament Augmentation

InternalBrace ligament augmentation is a recent advancement in the treatment of ligament instability, with demonstrated safety and clinical effectiveness for lateral ligament reconstruction. There are multiple commercially available suture tapes made of a variety of materials whose biological properties have not been well evaluated. These properties may affect the quality of reparative tissue given the intimate apposition of the ligament to the augment. This study explores tenocyte viability, adhesion, and proliferation to 4 suture tapes. Four suture tapes were studied: 1 with a collagen coating, 1 with a silicone coating, and 2 uncoated. The sutures were seeded with tenocytes and viability, adhesion and proliferation were evaluated over a 14-day period (n=12). Initial viability was highest on the collagen-coated suture tape (96.7±3.6%) and lowest on the silicone coated (54.7±23.0%). The highest live cell density after 14 days was observed on the collagen-coated suture tape (64.0±24.9 cells/mm2), while the lowest was observed on silicone-coated (5.0±5.1 cells/mm2). The collagen-coated and both uncoated suture tapes similarly supported 3.6- to 4.2-fold cell proliferation over 14 days, significantly more than observed on the silicone-coated tape (2.5±0.8-fold). The composition and coatings of suture tape may have biological consequences for ligament repair. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic in vitro study. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.