Cartilage tissue engineering: towards a biomaterial-assisted mesenchymal stem cell therapy

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Musculoskeletal Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Articular cartilage injuries pose significant challenges in musculoskeletal medicine due to limited self-repair capacity.
• Current orthopaedic surgical treatments are insufficient for large chondral defects, driving research in regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in cell therapy for cartilage tissue engineering.
• To highlight key areas including cell selection, scaffold design, growth factor application, and clinical translation.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature on cell sources (chondrocytes, mesenchymal stromal cells).
• Analysis of scaffold engineering (biocompatible, biodegradable matrices).
• Evaluation of growth factors and their delivery for chondrogenesis and phenotype maintenance.

Main Results:

• Identification of multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells as promising candidates.
• Development of advanced scaffolds for cell delivery and factor release.
• Progress in identifying specific growth factors and optimized application strategies.

Conclusions:

• Optimizing cell-matrix-factor combinations is crucial for functional cartilage replacement.
• Overcoming obstacles in cartilage engineering is essential for successful clinical applications.