Cartilage Regeneration Induced by HIF-1α Through Different Pathways

Abstract

In practical practice, cartilage damage is a prevalent medical issue. Conventional cartilage replacement techniques do not meet the objectives of comfort medicine due to the limitations of invasive surgery, specific longevity, possible rejection, etc. Previous researches have revealed that HIF-1α is known as a crucial chondrogenic regulatory factor and elevated levels of HIF-1α seems to have been essential in angiogenic remodelling, erythropoiesis and cell proliferation. This paper reviews the definition of HIF-1α and the factors that influence it, and elaborates four mechanisms of HIF-1α-induced cartilage regeneration in the molecular level: modulating transcriptional genes such as VEGF, adapting the cell adhesion pathway of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, intervening Protein Serine Kinase signaling pathway and HIF1α/FAK signaling pathway, which offers new ideas for inducing cartilage regeneration at the molecular level. HIF-1α-induced neovascularisation provides a rich blood supply to areas of cartilage that are deprived of blood supply and promotes the repair and regeneration of damaged cartilage. Consequently, more research on HIF-1α activation for cartilage regeneration may provide further perspectives into the treatment of clinical cartilage defects.