Articular cartilage repair biomaterials: strategies and applications
Open accessAbstract
Articular cartilage injury is a frequent worldwide disease, while effective treatment is urgently needed. Due to lack of blood vessels and nerves, the ability of cartilage to self-repair is limited. Despite the availability of various clinical treatments, unfavorable prognoses and complications remain prevalent. However, the advent of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has generated considerable interests in using biomaterials for articular cartilage repair. Nevertheless, there remains a notable scarcity of comprehensive reviews that provide an in-depth exploration of the various strategies and applications. Herein, we present an overview of the primary biomaterials and bioactive substances from the tissue engineering perspective to repair articular cartilage. The strategies include regeneration, substitution, and immunization. We comprehensively delineate the influence of mechanically supportive scaffolds on cellular behavior, shedding light on emerging scaffold technologies, including stimuli-responsive smart scaffolds, 3D-printed scaffolds, and cartilage bionic scaffolds. Biologically active substances, including bioactive factors, stem cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs), and cartilage organoids, are elucidated for their roles in regulating the activity of chondrocytes. Furthermore, the composite bioactive scaffolds produced industrially to put into clinical use, are also explicitly presented. This review offers innovative solutions for treating articular cartilage ailments and emphasizes the potential of biomaterials for articular cartilage repair in clinical translation.
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Scaffold should have structure and porosity similar to bone trabeculae, and surface topography suitable for cell adhesion and growth, promoting cell growth on surface and inside scaffold.
“the scaffold should have a structure and porosity similar to bone trabeculae, and have a surface topography suitable for cell adhesion and growth, promoting cell growth on the surface and inside the scaffold [201].”
From Application of PLCL as a biodegradable polymer in biomedical engineering (2026) · cites this paper as [201]
The “Cartilage bionic scaffolds” section says an ideal scaffold should be porous to enable cell migration and have a surface topography that influences cell interactions; its “Surface modification” subsection says surface treatments can enhance cell adhesion and growth. It does not say the structure and porosity should resemble bone trabeculae, or specifically that the design promotes growth both on the surface and inside the scaffold. Page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.87)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredNanoparticle-based delivery systems and hydrogel scaffolds can enhance peptide stability and bioavailability in orthopedic applications.
“Current research is exploring nanoparticle-based delivery systems and hydrogel scaffolds as mechanisms to enhance peptide stability and bioavailability in orthopedic applications [117].”
From Advancements in Regenerative Therapies for Orthopedics: A Comprehensive Review of Platelet-Rich Plasma, Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Peptide Therapies, and Biomimetic Applications (2025) · cites this paper as [117]
The Bioactive factors section (page not provided) describes a nanoparticle–hydrogel platform with sustained release and identifies peptide stability and delivery efficiency as challenges in cartilage repair. It does not say that nanoparticle systems or hydrogel scaffolds enhance peptide stability or bioavailability specifically; the sustained-release example involves a small herbal molecule. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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References 205 · Cited by 145
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- Authors
- Wang, M., Wu, Y., Li, G., Lin, Q., Zhang, W., Liu, H., & Su, J.
- Affiliations
- Shanghai University (CN)
- Second Military Medical University (CN)
- Corresponding author
- Lin, Qiushui
- Liu, Han
- Su, Jiacan
- Venue
- Materials Today Bio
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-02
- Volume
- 24
- Pages
- 100948
- ISSN
- 2590-0064 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10806349
- OpenAlex
- W4390629446
- Cited by
- 145
- References
- 205
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 39
- FWCI
- 10.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Materials Today Bio (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (82202344, 82230071)
- Shanghai University
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Bone Tissue Engineering Materials
- Keywords
- articular cartilage repair, cartilage tissue engineering, biomaterials, scaffolds, 3D-printed scaffolds, bionic scaffold, chondrocytes, stem cells, extracellular vesicles, cartilage organoids, bioactive agents, immunization, composite scaffolds, clinical translation
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