Immunomodulatory cartilage tissue engineering: synergistic inflammation suppression and cartilage regeneration for...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by progressive cartilage degradation and chronic inflammatory responses. Given the limited regenerative capacity of cartilage and the complexity of the inflammatory microenvironment, the treatment of OA presents significant clinical challenges. This review highlights the pivotal role of immune regulation in OA treatment and provides a comprehensive overview of the specific mechanisms and therapeutic applications of immunomodulatory cartilage tissue engineering mediated by biomaterials, bioactive additives, and cell intervention. A comparative analysis of these three approaches is conducted, clarifying their respective clinical relevance and feasibility. Furthermore, the review discusses the standardized assessment methods for immune regulation and tissue regeneration, and emphasizes the importance of establishing a unified evaluation framework for clinical translation. Finally, current challenges in immunomodulatory tissue engineering strategies for OA treatment are identified, and future directions for the development of personalized medicine are outlined in light of advancements in multi-omics technologies, generative artificial intelligence, and intelligent medical devices.