Stem cell in cartilage tissue engineering / 中国组织工程研究

ABSTRACT

Recently, stem cells attract significant attention in cartilage tissue engineering as an alternative to autologous chondrocytes. Bone marrow-derived stem cells showed potency to chondrogenesis in various culture conditions. Adipose-derived stem cells are a kind of fibroblast-like stem cells population which can be isolated from adipose tissue and cultured in vitro, can differentiate into chondrocyte after an extended period with stable expansion and low levels of senescence in 3D culture environment. Besides bone marrow and adipose tissue, muscle, synovium, and periosteum are other sources of adult stem cells being explored for applications in cartilage repairment. Furthermore, co-culture of human embryonic stem cells with primary chondrocytes can induce the chondrogenesis differentiation, however, the difficulties in ESC selective purification, as well as oncogenicity and ethical issues, may limited the use in clinic.