What is a common characteristic of synthetic scaffolds used in tendon tissue engineering?

A common characteristic of synthetic scaffolds used in tendon tissue engineering is high mechanical strength. Tendons are known for their ability to withstand significant tensile forces, and thus the materials used to create synthetic scaffolds must possess adequate strength to mimic the mechanical properties of native tendon tissue. High mechanical strength ensures that the scaffold can support the physical loads it will experience in vivo, facilitating proper functional integration with the surrounding tissue.

Other options, while they may describe certain attributes of materials, do not align as strongly with the typical requirements for tendon scaffolds. For example, while some scaffolds may be designed with no biodegradability, this characteristic is not a requirement and in some cases, biodegradability can be desirable for gradual tissue regeneration. Similarly, extremely low porosity would limit the scaffold's ability to support cellular infiltration and nutrient exchange, which are critical for tissue growth and repair. Lastly, while bioactivity is important for scaffold integration and healing, no synthetic scaffold achieves perfect bioactivity, as real biological systems are complex, and the interaction between scaffolds and host tissues varies. Thus, high mechanical strength stands out as a defining feature of effective synthetic scaffolds in tendon tissue engineering.