Material‐Assisted Strategies for Osteochondral Defect Repair

Abstract

The osteochondral (OC) unit plays a pivotal role in joint lubrication and in the transmission of constraints to bones during movement. The OC unit does not spontaneously heal; therefore, OC defects are considered to be one of the major risk factors for developing long-term degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. Yet, there is currently no curative treatment for OC defects, and OC regeneration remains an unmet medical challenge. In this context, a plethora of tissue engineering strategies have been envisioned over the last two decades, such as combining cells, biological molecules, and/or biomaterials, yet with little evidence of successful clinical transfer to date. This striking observation must be put into perspective with the difficulty in comparing studies to identify overall key elements for success. This systematic review aims to provide a deeper insight into the field of material-assisted strategies for OC regeneration, with particular considerations for the therapeutic potential of the different approaches (with or without cells or biological molecules), and current OC regeneration evaluation methods. After a brief description of the biological complexity of the OC unit, the recent literature is thoroughly analyzed, and the major pitfalls, emerging key elements, and new paths to success are identified and discussed.

Layered Double Hydroxides: A Novel Promising 2D Nanomaterial for Bone Diseases Treatment

“…[15][16][17][18] Various hydrogel microspheres with anti-inflammatory and chondrogenic properties have also been developed to alleviate inflammatory pain and halt cartilage degeneration in osteoarthritis patients. [19][20][21] Nevertheless, the therapeutic efficiency of these biomaterial-based strategies for bone diseases is far away from excellent and still has a long way to go before entering clinical practice. [9,11,22] Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) composed of positively charged metallic layers and interlayer anions possess great biocompatibility and unique physicochemical properties have recently attracted tremendous attention in biomedical field.…”

3D Printing of Microenvironment‐Specific Bioinspired and Exosome‐Reinforced Hydrogel Scaffolds for Efficient Cartilage and Subchondral Bone Regeneration

“…[7][8][9] However, homogeneous scaffolds do not have the same complexity as an OC matrix. [10] Consequently, the fabrication of a spatially biomimetic bilayer scaffold that possesses chondrogenic and osteogenic microenvironments similar to those of native OC tissues represents a promising, yet challenging strategy for the simultaneous regeneration of cartilage and subchondral bone tissues.…”

Exosome‐Hydrogel System in Bone Tissue Engineering: A Promising Therapeutic Strategy

“…However, the incidence of bone damage or defects due to various causes, such as fractures, osteoporosis, bone tumors and osteomyelitis, has been increasing. [1][2][3][4] Some studies have shown that bone-delayed union or nonunion occurs in 5% to 10% of fracture patients. [5][6][7] Bone nonunion and osteoarthritis (OA) not only cause severe mental and physical pain and incapacity in patients but also result in trillions of dollars in healthcare costs and a socioeconomic burden due to the impaired workforce.…”