Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Autologous or allogenic cartilage transplantation, transplantation of cartilage or periosteum, cartilage cell transplantation are applied in repairing cartilage injuries, but all the material limitations of immune rejection lead to ineffective results. Tissue-engineered cartilage provides a new idea and method for the clinical repair of cartilage defects.
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the literatures on the tissue-engineered cartilage for treatment of cartilage defects through SCI database and to understand the development tendency of the tissue-engineered cartilage.
METHODS: A retrieval was performed for the literature addressing the tissue-engineered cartilage for treatment of cartilage defects, using key words of “cartilage, tissue engineering, chondrocyte/cartilage cell, cartilage tissue, scaffold materials, seed cell” in SCI database (2001-01/2010-12). The retrieval results were analyzed, and the trends were described in words and graphics.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: 3 137 papers about tissue-engineered cartilage for treatment of cartilage defects published between 2001-01 and 2010-12 were retrieved in SCI database, and most of papers were published as original articles. The overall number of literature had an upward trend from 2001 to 2010. Biomaterials published most papers in this field. United States published more literature than other countries, and play important roles in the field of the tissue-engineered cartilage for treatment of cartilage defects. Most of papers were published from Harvard University, Rice University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Columbia University, University of California, San Diego. This paper provides a valuable reference for researchers to understand the overview and present situation of this field.