Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Tissue engineering technique to repair articular cartilage injury: Environment, material, safety and controllability

Kou Jian-qiang1, Wang Qian-qian2, Wang Chang-yao3, Wang Ying-zhen3   

  1. 1 Department of Orthopedics, Huangdao Branch, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical School, Qingdao  266000, Shandong Province, China
    2 Central Blood Station of Qingdao City, Qingdao  266000, Shandong Province, China
    3 Department of Joint Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical School, Qingdao  266000, Shandong Province, China
  • Received:2012-09-11 Revised:2012-10-23 Online:2013-04-09 Published:2013-04-09
  • Contact: Wang Ying-zhen, Master, Chief physician, Professor, Department of Joint Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical School, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China
  • About author:Kou Jian-qiang★, Master, Physician, Department of Orthopedics, Huangdao Branch, Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University Medical School, Qingdao 266000, Shandong Province, China kjqwqq@163.com
  • Supported by:

    the Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province, No. 2009zrb14311*

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The traditional methods for cartilage defect repair have their limitations. The application of tissue engineering methods to repair articular cartilage defects has shown promising prospects.
OBJECTIVE: To review the progress of tissue engineering technique to repair articular cartilage at home and abroad in recent years.
METHODS: PubMed and CNKI databases were searched online by the first author for papers concerning applying tissue engineering technique to repair articular cartilage defects in 1990-2011. Totally 187 Chinese papers and 211 English papers were retrieved, and finally 49 papers were included in result analysis.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The main method of cartilage tissue engineering is to apply the principle of engineering and life sciences to isolate, culture and proliferate needed seed cells. Then, the cells were implanted onto the appropriate biological scaffold, and the cytoskeleton was implanted into the defect site. Gradually, new cartilage tissues form under some inducing conditions. In recent years, the cartilage tissue engineering research focuses on the following aspects: (1) Selection of seed cells, including autologous chondrocytes, allogenic chondrocytes, embryonic stem cells and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; (2) Cell induction and conditional culture, including cytokines, cell culture conditions, transgenic technology; (3) Selection and research of biological scaffold materials. The following aspects have become hotspots in the tissue engineering research: finding ideal seed cells, combination with cytokines, literally imitating microenvironment for cell survival, safety, high efficiency, and controlled transfection of gene engineering, and constructing ideal scaffold materials.

Key words: tissue construction, tissue construction review, seed cells, chondrocytes, allogeneic chondrocytes, embryonic stem cells, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, cell culture, induction, scaffolds, cytokine, microenvironment, provincial grants-supported paper

CLC Number: