ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Graphene-related materials have good biocompatibility and can improve cartilage repair. At the same time, their excellent mechanical strength and electrical conductivity make them promising as cartilage replacement materials, which have been widely used in tissue engineering. OBJECTIVE: To review the general properties, biocompatibility and application of graphene in cartilage tissue engineering and cartilage repair. METHODS: A computer-based online search of CNKI and PubMed databases was performed using the search terms “graphene, tissue engineering, biocompatibility, cartilage” in Chinese and English to search related literatures published between January 2000 and January 2019. Preliminary screening was conducted by reading the titles and abstracts to exclude the literature irrelevant to the theme of the paper. According to inclusion and exclusion criteria, 67 literatures were included in the final analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Graphene has good biocompatibility, and has low cytotoxicity to prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells, but the cytotoxicity can be further reduced by chemical modification or surface modification, so as not to affect the growth of cells. Graphene and its derivatives can promote the growth and chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, as well as the proliferation and maturation of chondrocytes, and accelerate the repair of cartilage defects. Due to its mechanical strength and electrical conductivity, graphene can compound biomimetic cartilage material, which is suitable for cartilage tissue engineering. Graphene has several unresolved problems and challenges, but the application potential of graphene-related materials may pave the way for future breakthroughs in tissue engineering research.