Tissue engineering of cartilage.
The primary goal of engineering cartilage as a therapeutic approach is to restore the physiological conditions of an affected or defective tissue in the body. Cartilage tissue is distributed widely in the human body and possesses an organization related to the specific demand of a particular anatomical region. In selecting the proper material for engineering cartilage, the functional demands of the replacement tissue must be considered. In summary, there is a multitude of scaffolds, naturally occurring and synthetic, that are suitable for engineering cartilage. Investigators have shown that the characteristics of the neocartilage differ significantly depending upon which scaffold is used. There are also large differences when a single scaffold is tested in vitro as opposed to in vivo. Moreover, the addition of other materials internally or externally to the cartilage composite influences the physical and biomechanical properties of the newly formed tissue. The results achieved so far are extremely encouraging and motivate further investigative efforts in the field. The biochemical composition and, more importantly, the biomechanical properties of the native tissue still represent the ideal replacement tissue.
Randolph
Mark A
MA
Division of Plastic Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, WAC 453, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA 02114, USA. marandolph@partners.org
Anseth
Kristi
K
Yaremchuk
Michael J
MJ
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002356:Cartilage / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000627:therapeutic use; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D006133:Growth Substances; D020100:Hydrogels