Abstract
Throughout this fall, I worked in Dr. Spencer Lake’s Musculoskeletal Soft Tissue Laboratory testing bovine tendons to study the effects of elastin on the mechanical properties of tendon. To study the effects of elastin, the mechanical properties of tendon were compared when elastin was and was not functionally active. This process was completed by utilizing elastase, which enzymatically degrades elastin and renders it non-functional. Once the elastin was degraded, the mechanical properties of the tendon without elastin was tested using an Instron. Previously, 20 tendons were tested which included the bovine long digital extensor tendon (LDET) and bovine superficial digital flexor tendon (SDFT). However, after testing and data analysis, it was found that the test preparation system was flawed, and so the methods for testing were updated and validated. Overall, three bovine DDFT samples were used to validate the updated methods, and after mechanical struggles with the testing machine, the testing process was validated.
Document Type
Final Report
Class Name
Mechanical Engineering and Material Sciences Independent Study
Date of Submission
1-7-2020
Recommended Citation
Abraham, James; Eekhoff, Jeremy; and Lake, Spencer, "An Updated Protocol to Study the Effects of Elastase Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Bovine Tendon" (2020). Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science Independent Study. 114.
https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/mems500/114