Novel injectable gel encapsulating human articular chondrocytes for cartilage tissue repair and regeneration

Abstract

[Excerpt] Cartilage tissue loss, as a result of trauma, congenital disorders and diseases of joints, involving structural damage of articular cartilage surface, is a substantial clinical problem representing a major challenge for cartilage tissue engineering. The aim of our study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo behavior of human articular chondrocytes encapsulated within a novel carrageenan in situ injectable hydrogel for cartilage tissue engineering and regeneration. Human articular chondrocytes (Hac) were expanded using a well defined serum free medium able to support cell proliferation and differentiation with high cell chondrogenicity. [...]