Advances in Biomaterial-Mediated Gene Therapy for Articular Cartilage Repair

Abstract

Articular cartilage defects caused by various reasons are relatively common in clinical practice, but the lack of efficient therapeutic methods remains a substantial challenge due to limitations in the chondrocytes’ repair abilities. In the search for scientific cartilage repair methods, gene therapy appears to be more effective and promising, especially with acellular biomaterial-assisted procedures. Biomaterial-mediated gene therapy has mainly been divided into non-viral vector and viral vector strategies, where the controlled delivery of gene vectors is contained using biocompatible materials. This review will introduce the common clinical methods of cartilage repair used, the strategies of gene therapy for cartilage injuries, and the latest progress.

Advanced gene nanocarriers/scaffolds in nonviral-mediated delivery system for tissue regeneration and repair

“…Although biomaterial-based gene therapy has achieved great success in cartilage regeneration and repair, there are little nonviral vectors to achieve extremely high transfection efficiency [ 190 , 206 ]. It is still an important task to improve transfection efficiency as much as possible on the premise of ensuring safety [ 190 ].…”

Glucosamine-loaded injectable hydrogel promotes autophagy and inhibits apoptosis after cartilage injury

“…Articular cartilage injury is a common disease that is often caused by excessive exercise, aging, osteoarthritis, and trauma [ 1 ]. Articular cartilage is a highly specialized tissue with rich water but no blood fluid supply, nerve tissue, and lymphatic vessels.…”