Tendon tissue engineering (TE) requires tailoring scaffolds designs
and properties to the anatomical and functional requirements of
tendons located in different regions of the body. Cell sourcing is also of
utmost importance as tendon cells are scarce. Recently, we have found
that it is possible to direct the tenogenic differentiation of Amniotic
fluid and Adipose tissue derived stem cells (hAFSCs and hASCs), and
also that there are hASCs subpopulations that might be more prone to
tenogenic differentiation. Nevertheless, biochemical stimulation may
not be enough to develop functional TE substitutes for a tissue that is
known to be highly dependent on mechanical loading.