Engineered biochemical cues of regenerative biomaterials to enhance endogenous stem/progenitor cells (ESPCs)-mediated articular cartilage repair

As a highly specialized shock-absorbing connective tissue, articular cartilage (AC) has very limited self-repair capacity after traumatic injuries, posing a heavy socioeconomic burden. Common clinical therapies for small- to medium-size focal AC defects are well-developed endogenous repair and cell-based strategies, including microfracture,...

Functionalized Hydrogels for Articular Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Articular cartilage (AC) is an avascular and flexible connective tissue located on the bone surface in the diarthrodial joints. AC defects are common in the knees of young and physically active individuals. Because of the lack of suitable tissue-engineered artificial matrices, current therapies for AC defects, especially full-thickness AC...

The Development of a Cartilage Specific Bioink for Three-Dimensional Bioprinting

Bioprinting is a promising technique that has the ability to generate complex tissue structures for articular cartilage (AC) repair and regeneration. However, most biomaterials used for bioprinting are incapable of representing the complexity of native extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, a novel cartilage specific bioink has been...

Bioprinting of a Zonal-Specific Cell Density Scaffold: A Biomimetic Approach for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

The treatment of articular cartilage defects remains a significant clinical challenge. This is partially due to current tissue engineering strategies failing to recapitulate native organization. Articular cartilage is a graded tissue with three layers exhibiting different cell densities: the superficial zone having the highest density and the...

Dual-contrast computed tomography enables detection of equine posttraumatic osteoarthritis in vitro

To prevent the progression of posttraumatic osteoarthritis, assessment of cartilage composition is critical for effective treatment planning. Posttraumatic changes include proteoglycan (PG) loss and elevated water content. Quantitative dual-energy computed tomography (QDECT) provides a means to diagnose these changes. Here, we determine the...

Evaluation of Shear Properties of Hydrogel: Thermoplastic Based Tissue Equivalents for Articular Cartilage

Composite constructs made from gelatin methylacrylamide (gelMA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) have been proven as promising materials to form tissue equivalents which can be used to alleviate the problems arising due to damage of articular cartilage. Despite exhibiting an increase of compressive stiffness (up to 54 - fold) by synergistic...

Fib3-3 as a biomarker for osteoarthritis in a rat model with metabolic dysregulation

Objective: Fibulin-3 is a glycoprotein highly expressed in osteoarthritic cartilage and inhibits angiogenesis and chondrocyte differentiation. Recent studies have indicated that fibulin-3 has potential value as a biomarker in osteoarthritis. The aim of the present study is to examine the role of 3 fibulin-3 peptides (Fib3-1, Fib3-2, and Fib3...

Multi-physics computational models of articular cartilage for estimation of its mechanical and physical properties

Recent advances in the realm of computational modeling of complex multiphysics phenomena in articular cartilage enabled efficient and precise determination of articular cartilage properties. However, still accurate quantification of complicated indentation and diffusion processes tying closely with the inhomogeneity of articular cartilage...

Effect of Bath Condition on the Diffusion of Contrast Agents Across Articular Cartilage

In the present study, the effect of concentration, osmolality and charge of x-ray contrast agents on their diffusion and equilibrium distribution across different zones of cartilage was investigated. Full-thickness cartilage discs (Ø = 8.5 mm, n = 3) were extracted from healthy equine femoral condyle (n = 2). The diffusion of four different...

Design of a mechanical loading device for studying the load dependent transport of solutes across articular cartilage in a micro-CT chamber

The present project focused on the design and development of a mechanical loading device that allows the convection studies in cartilage within a micro-CT chamber. A plastic-made device was designed and build in order to ensure the successful operation in the micro-CT. Besides that it allowed the monitoring of the tissue material properties by...