Abstract
The regeneration of articular cartilage damaged due to trauma and posttraumatic osteoarthritis is an unmet medical need. Current approaches to regeneration and tissue engineering of articular cartilage include the use of chondrocytes, stem cells, scaffolds and signals, including morphogens and growth factors. Stem cells, as a source of cells for articular cartilage regeneration, are a critical factor for articular cartilage regeneration. This is because articular cartilage tissue has a low cell turnover and does not heal spontaneously. Adult stem cells have been isolated from various tissues, such as bone marrow, adipose, synovial tissue, muscle and periosteum. Signals of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily play critical roles in chondrogenesis. However, adult stem cells derived from various tissues tend to differ in their chondrogenic potential. Pluripotent stem cells have unlimited proliferative capacity compared to adult stem cells. Chondrogenesis from embryonic stem (ES) cells has been studied for more than a decade. However, establishment of ES cells requires embryos and leads to ethical issues for clinical applications. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated by cellular reprogramming of adult cells by transcription factors. Although iPS cells have chondrogenic potential, optimization, generation and differentiation toward articular chondrocytes are currently under intense investigation.
Highlights
Articular cartilage (AC) is an avascular tissue, which consists of abundant extracellular matrix
Differentiation toward cartilage was induced by morphogens, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-ȕ superfamily and members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family
Chondrogenesis using different sources of stem cells has been investigated for several years
Summary
Articular cartilage (AC) is an avascular tissue, which consists of abundant extracellular matrix. AC does not heal spontaneously under physiological circumstances due to innate avascularity, low cellularity and low cell turnover [1] that can lead to progression of osteoarthritis (OA). In terms of AC regeneration, many procedures, such as subchondral drilling, abrasion arthroplasty, osteochondral grafts and transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) or chondrocytes, have been developed [4±8]. Differentiation toward cartilage was induced by morphogens, such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-ȕ superfamily and members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family. The resulting differentiated chondrocytes expressed cartilage specific markers, such as type II collagen and Aggrecan. Use of stem cells in combination with growth factors and scaffolds is another option for AC regeneration [1]. We discuss chondrogenesis using stem cells and morphogenetic proteins for potential applications in regeneration of AC
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