Abstract
At present, a few studies have been done on the changes in the distribution, morphology and quantity of mechanoreceptors in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) with age. In this study, we observed the changes in mechanoreceptors of healthy rabbits’ ACL with age. We found that rabbits’ ACLs contained 5 kinds of mechanoreceptors including Ruffini corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, Golgitendon bodies, free nerve endings and atypical mechanoreceptors. In each ACL, free nerve endings were the most followed by Ruffini corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles, Golgitendon bodies and atypical mechanoreceptors in the younger than one-old rabbits. Most of the mechanoreceptors were distributed in the synovium near the attachment points of ACL with the femur and tibia. The total quantity of mechanoreceptors were the most in the 3- and 6-month groups, but did not show a significant difference between the two group (P > 0.05). However, there were significant differences in the total quantity of mechanoreceptors between other groups (all P < 0.05). RT-PCR indicated that NEFM and S100B levels increased with age, and reached a peak in the 1-year group with significant differences as compared to other groups. NEFM and S100B levels were the second in 6-month and 2-year groups and the lowest in the 1-week group. We can conclude that in rabbits’ ACLs, free nerve endings are the most common, followed by Ruffini corpuscles, Pacinian corpuscles and Golgitendon bodies. The total quantity of mechanoreceptors reaches a peak in 3 months, while NEFM and S100B reach a peak in 1 year.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Adachi N, Ochi M, Uchio Y, Iwasa J, Ryoke K, Kuriwaka M (2002) Mechanoreceptors in the anterior cruciate ligament contribute to the joint position sense. Acta Orthop Scand 73(3):330–334
Aydoğ ST, Korkusuz P, Doral MN, Tetik O, Demirel HA (2006) Decrease in the numbers of mechanoreceptors in rabbit ACL: the effects of ageing. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 14(4):325–329
Bali K, Dhillon MS, Vasistha RK, Kakkar N, Chana R, Prabhakar S (2012) Efficacy of immunohistological methods in detecting functionally viable mechanoreceptors in the remnant stumps of injured anterior cruciate ligaments and its clinical importance. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 20(1):75–80
Balogun JA, Akindele KA, Nihinlola JO, Marzouk DK (1994) Age-related changes in balance performance. Disabil Rehabil 16(2):58–62
Çabuk H, Kuşku Çabuk F (2016) Mechanoreceptors of the ligaments and tendons around the knee. Clin Anat 29(6):789–795
Freeman MA, Wyke B (1966) Articular contributions to limb muscle reflexes. The effects of partial neurectomy of the knee-joint on postural reflexes. Br J Surg 53(1):61–68
Gao F, Zhou J, He C, Ding J, Lou Z, Xie Q, Li H, Li F, Li G (2016) A morphologic and quantitative study of mechanoreceptors in the remnant stump of the human anterior cruciate ligament. Arthroscopy 32(2):273–280
Johansson H, Sjölander P, Sojka P (1991) A sensory role for the cruciate ligaments. Clin orthop Relat Res (268): 161–178
Kosy JD, Mandalia VI (2018) Anterior cruciate ligament mechanoreceptors and their potential importance in remnant-preserving reconstruction: a review of basic science and clinical findings. J Knee Surg 31(8):736–746
Morisawa Y (1998) Morphological study of mechanoreceptors on the coracoacromial ligament. J Orthop Sci 3(2):102–110
Nayak M, Nag HL, Gaba S, Nag TC, Sharma S (2018) Quantitative correlation of mechanoreceptors in tibial remnant of ruptured human anterior cruciate ligament with duration of injury and its significance: an immunohistochemistry-based observational study. J Orthop Traumatol 19(1):5
Relph N, Herrington L (2016) The effects of knee direction, physical activity and age on knee joint position sense. Knee 23(3):393–398
Schultz RA, Miller DC, Kerr CS, Micheli L (1984) Mechanoreceptors in human cruciate ligaments. A histological study. J Bone Joint Surg Am 66(7):1072–1076
Sha L, Xie G, Zhao S, Zhao J (2017) A morphologic and quantitative comparison of mechanoreceptors in the tibial remnants of the ruptured human anterior cruciate ligament. Medicine (Baltimore) 96(5):e6081
Skinner HB, Barrack RL, Cook SD (1984) Age-related decline in proprioception. Clin Orthop Relat Res (184):208–211
Wodowski AJ, Swigler CW, Liu H, Nord KM, Toy PC, Mihalko WM (2016) Proprioception and knee arthroplasty: a literature review. Orthop Clin North Am 47(2):301–309
Zantop T, Petersen W, Sekiya JK, Musahl V, Fu FH (2006) Anterior cruciate ligament anatomy and function relating to anatomical reconstruction. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc 14(10):982–992
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Key Projects of Liaoning Natural Science Foundation Program (20170540998).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Li, B., Luo, Xd. & Wen, Y. Changes in mechanoreceptors in rabbits’ anterior cruciate ligaments with age. J Mol Hist 50, 229–237 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-019-09820-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10735-019-09820-4