The role of stromal cell-derived factor 1 on cartilage development and disease

Stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), also known as CXC motif chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12), is recognized as a homeostatic cytokine with strong chemotactic potency. It plays an important role in physiological and pathological processes, such as the development of multiple tissues and organs, the regulation of cell distribution, and tumour metastasis. SDF-1 has two receptors, CXC chemokine receptor type 4 (CXCR4) and CXC chemokine receptor type 7 (CXCR7). SDF-1 affects the proliferation, survival, differentiation and maturation of chondrocytes by binding to CXCR4 on chondrocytes. Therefore, SDF-1 has been used as an exogenous regulatory target in many studies to explore the mechanism of cartilage development. SDF-1 is also a potential therapeutic target for osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), because of its role in pathological initiation and regulation. In addition, SDF-1 shows potent capacity in the repair of cartilage defects by recruiting endogenous stem cells in a cartilage tissue engineering context. To summarize the specific role of SDF-1 on cartilage development and disease, all articles had been screened out in PubMed by May 30, 2020. The search was limited to studies published in English. Search terms included SDF-1; CXCL12; CXCR4; chondrocyte; cartilage; OA; RA, and forty-seven papers were studied. Besides, we reviewed references in the articles we searched to get additional relevant backgrounds. The review aims to conclude the current knowledge regarding the physiological and pathological role of SDF-1 on the cartilage and chondrocyte. More investigations are required to determine methods targeted SDF-1 to cartilage development and interventions to cartilage diseases.