Open AccessAdvances of injectable hydrogel-based scaffolds for cartilage regeneration
Author(s) -
Jiawei Li,
Guojun Chen,
Xingquan Xu,
Peter Abdou,
Qing Jiang,
Dongquan Shi,
Zhen Gu
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
regenerative biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.166
H-Index - 25
ISSN - 2056-3426
DOI - 10.1093/rb/rbz022
Subject(s) - cartilage , regeneration (biology) , tissue engineering , regenerative medicine , articular cartilage , biomedical engineering , nanotechnology , materials science , chemistry , medicine , osteoarthritis , anatomy , microbiology and biotechnology , biology , pathology , cell , biochemistry , alternative medicine
Articular cartilage is an important load-bearing tissue distributed on the surface of diarthrodial joints. Due to its avascular, aneural and non-lymphatic features, cartilage has limited self-regenerative properties. To date, the utilization of biomaterials to aid in cartilage regeneration, especially through the use of injectable scaffolds, has attracted considerable attention. Various materials, therapeutics and fabrication approaches have emerged with a focus on manipulating the cartilage microenvironment to induce the formation of cartilaginous structures that have similar properties to the native tissues. In particular, the design and fabrication of injectable hydrogel-based scaffolds have advanced in recent years with the aim of enhancing its therapeutic efficacy and improving its ease of administration. This review summarizes recent progress in these efforts, including the structural improvement of scaffolds, network cross-linking techniques and strategies for controlled release, which present new opportunities for the development of injectable scaffolds for cartilage regeneration.