Three-Dimensional-Printed Scaffolds for Meniscus Tissue Engineering: Opportunity for the Future in the Orthopaedic World.

Angelo V Vasiliadis,Konstantinos Katakalos,Nikolaos Koukoulias

doi:10.3390/jfb12040069

Abstract

The meniscus is a critical component of a healthy knee joint. It is a complex and vital fibrocartilaginous tissue that maintains appropriate biomechanics. Injuries of the meniscus, particularly in the inner region, rarely heal and usually progress into structural breakdown, followed by meniscus deterioration and initiation of osteoarthritis. Conventional therapies range from conservative treatment, to partial meniscectomy and even meniscus transplantation. All the above have high long-term failure rates, with recurrence of symptoms. This communication presents a brief account of in vitro and in vivo studies and describes recent developments in the field of 3D-printed scaffolds for meniscus tissue engineering. Current research in meniscal tissue engineering tries to combine polymeric biomaterials, cell-based therapy, growth factors, and 3D-printed scaffolds to promote the healing of meniscal defects. Today, 3D-printing technology represents a big opportunity in the orthopaedic world to create more specific implants, enabling the rapid production of meniscal scaffolds and changing the way that orthopaedic surgeons plan procedures. In the future, 3D-printed meniscal scaffolds are likely to be available and will also be suitable substitutes in clinical applications, in an attempt to imitate the complexity of the native meniscus.

Highlights

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body
Every structure in the knee joint is important, while the meniscus represents a bulwark against the destruction of the joint
We will mainly focus on the options provided by 3D-printing technology and the combination of different materials, in order to build a 3D construct similar to a native meniscus, giving the opportunity to change the direction of treatment in the near future

Summary

Introduction

The knee is one of the largest and most complex joints in the human body. Every structure in the knee joint is important, while the meniscus represents a bulwark against the destruction of the joint. Meniscal injuries are known to be the most frequently encountered and treated injuries in the knee joint and, as a result, their prompt diagnosis and appropriate management are of great importance in orthopaedic practice [1,2,4] In this communication, we will mainly focus on the options provided by 3D-printing technology and the combination of different materials, in order to build a 3D construct similar to a native meniscus, giving the opportunity to change the direction of treatment in the near future. Previous complete or almost-complete meniscectomy, it is a technically demanding and it should be performed only after considerable practice and taking into considertime-consuming procedure It should be performed only after considerable ation factors related to the patient (skeletally mature, mild unicompartmental degenerative practice and taking into related (skeletally changes, younger than 45 consideration years, normal factors mechanical axistoofthe the patient knee joint). In order to overcome these issues, researchers use natural and synthetic polymers (Table 2), or their combination, as engineered scaffolds and have demonstrated their promising properties for meniscal regeneration [2,9,18]

Applications of 3D-Printing Scaffolds for Meniscal Tissue Engineering

Conclusions