Journal
BIOMATERIALS
Volume 32, Issue 34, Pages 8771-8782Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2011.08.073
Keywords
Hydrogel; Mesenchymal stem cells; Hyaluronic acid; Chondrogenesis; Cartilage; Biomaterial
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 EB008722]
- National Science Foundation
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Hyaline cartilage serves as a low-friction and wear-resistant articulating surface in load-bearing, diarthrodial joints. Unfortunately, as the avascular, alymphatic nature of cartilage significantly impedes the body's natural ability to regenerate, damage resulting from trauma and osteoarthritis necessitates repair attempts. Current clinical methods are generally limited in their ability to regenerate functional cartilage, and so research in recent years has focused on tissue engineering solutions in which the regeneration of cartilage is pursued through combinations of cells (e.g., chondrocytes or stem cells) paired with scaffolds (e.g., hydrogels, sponges, and meshes) in conjunction with stimulatory growth factors and bioreactors. A variety of synthetic and natural materials have been employed, most commonly in the form of hydrogels, and these systems have been tuned for optimal nutrient diffusion, connectivity of deposited matrix, degradation, soluble factor delivery, and mechanical loading for enhanced matrix production and organization. Even with these promising advances, the complex mechanical properties and biochemical composition of native cartilage have not been achieved, and engineering cartilage tissue still remains a significant challenge. Using hyaluronic acid hydrogels as an example, this review will follow the progress of material design specific to cartilage tissue engineering and propose possible future directions for the field. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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