Tenogenic Differentiation of Ovine Amniotic Stem Cells Co-Cultured with Tenocytes

Tendons are constantly exposed to mechanical loads, particularly to injuries in sportsmen, workers, and elderly people. Spontaneous healing, slow and incomplete, often results in scar formation. An effective treatment that is able to stimulate complete tendon healing remains to be developed. The introduction of stem cells that are able to differentiate into mature tenocytes represents a promising strategy for tendon repair. The aim of the present research was to assess whether co-culture with ovine or equine tenocytes can stimulate well-characterized ovine amniotic epithelial stem cells (AESCs) to differentiate into tenocytes. Both co-cultures reprogrammed ovine AESCs toward a tenogenic lineage as shown by the acquisition of a fusiform shape with a flat nucleus, by the secretion of collagen type I, and by the expression of tendon—related genes