Title:The Role of Mechanical Regulation in Cartilage Tissue Engineering
Volume: 16
Issue: 8
Author(s): Shujiang Zhang and Yongchang Yao*
Affiliation:
- Department of Joint Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510120,China
Keywords:
Mechanical stimuli, mesenchymal cells, chondrogenesis, tissue engineering, cartilage regeneration, biomaterials.
Abstract: Due to the lack of vascular distribution and the slow metabolism, cartilage tissue cannot
repair itself, which remains a huge challenge in cartilage regeneration. Tissue engineering using
stem cells appears to be a promising method for cartilage repair. Tissue engineers demonstrated
that mechanical stimulation can enhance the quality of engineered cartilage, making it more similar
to natural cartilage in structure and function. In this review, we summarize recent studies on the
role of mechanical stimuli in chondrogenesis, focusing on the applications of extrinsic mechanical
loading and the studies on mechanical properties of biomaterials in cartilage tissue engineering.
This review will provide fresh insights into the potential use of mechanical stimuli for clinical use.
