ReviewFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology2026
The subacromial bursa in rotator cuff injury: from pathological contributor to regenerative resource?
Review in Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Rotator cuff injury (RCI) represents a leading cause of shoulder pain and functional impairment, imposing a considerable burden on patients' quality of life and healthcare systems worldwide. The subacromial bursa (SAB), a critical anatomical structure located between the acromion and rotator cuff tendons, has traditionally been regarded as a primary pathological contributor to pain generation, inflammation, and tendon degeneration. Aberrant inflammatory signaling, fibrotic remodeling, and nociceptive sensitization within the diseased SAB can disrupt the homeostatic tendon microenvironment and impair intrinsic healing capacity, thereby supporting the historical rationale for routine bursectomy during surgical repair. Paradoxically, accumulating evidence challenges this conventional view, suggesting that the SAB also serves as a biologically active, endogenous regenerative reservoir. It contains mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with promising proliferative and tenogenic potential, secretes bioactive growth factors, and modulates the local immune microenvironment to promote reparative and anti-inflammatory responses conducive to tendon healing. This dual biological role presents an important clinical dilemma in arthroscopic rotator cuff repair: should surgeons resect pathological bursal tissue to alleviate the inflammatory burden and improve visualization, or selectively preserved to maintain its potential regenerative capacity? In this comprehensive narrative review, we critically synthesize current evidence regarding the pathological and regenerative functions of the SAB in RCI, critically evaluate the ongoing controversy between bursal resection versus preservation, and summarize emerging SAB-targeted therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, we integrate multi-omics insights into bursa biology aimed at moderating the local microenvironment. Finally, we highlight current translational challenges and future directions to inform biologically guided and evidence-based management of the SAB for rotator cuff repair.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.