Tissue Engineering Approach for ACL Healing

Abstract

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries have become increasingly prevalent and account for a large proportion of knee ligament injuries among young, active individuals. The management of ACL injuries is technically demanding because of their poor healing potential. At present, ACL reconstruction with intra-articular grafts is still gold standard; however, these approaches sometimes lead to several problems such as secondary osteoarthritis and inadequate restoration of functional knee stability. Progress in science and technology has enabled the development of tissue engineering techniques, with basic research being applied clinically. The improved knowledge of healing, along with recent progress in regenerative medicine, has resulted in the discovery of novel biologically augmented ACL repair techniques that have satisfactory outcomes in preclinical studies. In the past decade, we have investigated tissue regeneration in animal models of musculoskeletal disorders by using tissue engineering approach, such as cells, scaffold, microRNA, and delivery systems, which has been relatively easy to apply and develop in clinical settings. In this section, we specifically discuss the available tissue engineering options for managing ACL injuries and introduce our challenges to achieve better outcomes for ACL reconstruction and for the overall healing of native ACL.