Distinctive collagen maturation process in fibroblasts derived from rabbit anterior cruciate ligament, medial collateral ligament, and patellar tendon in vitro

Purpose Differences in the tissue-specific collagen maturation process between tendon and ligament are still unknown. Collagen cross-link formation is crucial for the collagen maturation process. The aim of this study is to examine collagen maturation processes of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL), and patellar tendon (PT) in vitro, in order to determine the optimal cell source for tissue engineering of ligament.