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Abstract
Chickens were divided into two groups, one caged and the other penned. Superficial digital flexor tendons from penned chickens showed greater tensile strength, withstanding a greater strain before rupture than tendons from caged chickens. The tensile region of tendons from penned chickens showed more swelling in acetic acid and a higher hydroxyproline concentration compared with caged chickens, indicating the presence of large collagen amounts in the former. The tensile region of penned chickens presented higher glycosaminoglycan concentrations than the same region of caged chickens. For both groups, the predominant glycosaminoglycan in the compression regions was chondroitin sulfate, whereas dermatan sulfate was found in the tensile regions. N-terminal analysis identified the small proteoglycans fibromodulin and decorin. SDS-PAGE indicated that decorin was present in all regions and fibromodulin was mainly observed in the tensile region. These results indicate that an external condition, in this case the area available for locomotion, might influence the synthesis of extracellular matrix components and the mechanical properties of the tendon.