Articular cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering models: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Research
• Regenerative Medicine
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• Cartilage degeneration is linked to osteoarthritis and joint damage.
• Effective cartilage regeneration remains a critical challenge in orthopedics.
• Understanding current strategies is vital for advancing repair techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and summarize current experimental strategies for cartilage regeneration.
• To provide a comprehensive overview of in vitro and in vivo approaches.
• To aid in the design of new models and improve research translation.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search on PubMed for cartilage defect models and chondrogenesis.
• Evaluation of articles by title and abstract.
• Inclusion of manuscripts reporting novel cartilage regeneration models or approaches.

Main Results:

• 2,217 studies were initially identified, with 200 eligible for review.
• Research approaches encompass cell culture, tissue engineering, transplantation, and computational modeling.
• A wide spectrum of experimental strategies was identified.

Conclusions:

• Knowledge of articular cartilage and its defects has significantly increased.
• Current cartilage repair strategies do not yet replicate native tissue structure and function.
• Summarizing experimental strategies is crucial for future research and clinical translation.