Biomaterial Database

The role of tissue engineering in articular cartilage repair and regeneration. 2009

Lijie Zhang, and Jerry Hu, and Kyriacos A Athanasiou

Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA.

Articular cartilage repair and regeneration continue to be largely intractable because of the poor regenerative properties of this tissue. The field of articular cartilage tissue engineering, which aims to repair, regenerate, and/or improve injured or diseased articular cartilage functionality, has evoked intense interest and holds great potential for improving articular cartilage therapy. This review provides an overall description of the current state of and progress in articular cartilage repair and regeneration. Traditional therapies and related problems are introduced. More importantly, a variety of promising cell sources, biocompatible tissue engineered scaffolds, scaffoldless techniques, growth factors, and mechanical stimuli used in current articular cartilage tissue engineering are reviewed. Finally, the technical and regulatory challenges of articular cartilage tissue engineering and possible future directions are also discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002358	Cartilage, Articular	A protective layer of firm, flexible cartilage over the articulating ends of bones. It provides a smooth surface for joint movement, protecting the ends of long bones from wear at points of contact.	Articular Cartilage,Articular Cartilages,Cartilages, Articular
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D048091	Guided Tissue Regeneration	Procedures for enhancing and directing tissue repair and renewal processes, such as BONE REGENERATION; NERVE REGENERATION; etc. They involve surgically implanting growth conducive tracks or conduits (TISSUE SCAFFOLDING) at the damaged site to stimulate and control the location of cell repopulation. The tracks or conduits are made from synthetic and/or natural materials and may include support cells and induction factors for CELL GROWTH PROCESSES; or CELL MIGRATION.	Regeneration, Guided Tissue,Tissue Regeneration, Guided
D054457	Tissue Scaffolds	Cell growth support structures composed of BIOCOMPATIBLE MATERIALS. They are specially designed solid support matrices for cell attachment in TISSUE ENGINEERING and GUIDED TISSUE REGENERATION uses.	Tissue Scaffolding,Scaffold, Tissue,Scaffolding, Tissue,Scaffoldings, Tissue,Scaffolds, Tissue,Tissue Scaffold,Tissue Scaffoldings
D023822	Tissue Engineering	Generating tissue in vitro for clinical applications, such as replacing wounded tissues or impaired organs. The use of TISSUE SCAFFOLDING enables the generation of complex multi-layered tissues and tissue structures.	Engineering, Tissue
D033581	Stem Cell Transplantation	The transfer of STEM CELLS from one individual to another within the same species (TRANSPLANTATION, HOMOLOGOUS) or between species (XENOTRANSPLANTATION), or transfer within the same individual (TRANSPLANTATION, AUTOLOGOUS). The source and location of the stem cells determines their potency or pluripotency to differentiate into various cell types.	Transplantation, Stem Cell,Stem Cell Transplantations,Transplantations, Stem Cell