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CC BY-NC 4.0 · Arch Plast Surg 2014; 41(03): 231-240
DOI: 10.5999/aps.2014.41.3.231
Review Article

Nanotechnology Biomimetic Cartilage Regenerative Scaffolds

Erh-Hsuin Lim
The Blizard Institute, Bart's and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
Department of Materials and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
,
Jose Paulo Sardinha
Department of Materials and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
Instituto Superior Técnico and ICEMS, Lisbon, Portugal
,
Simon Myers
The Blizard Institute, Bart's and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
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Cartilage has a limited regenerative capacity. Faced with the clinical challenge of reconstruction of cartilage defects, the field of cartilage engineering has evolved. This article reviews current concepts and strategies in cartilage engineering with an emphasis on the application of nanotechnology in the production of biomimetic cartilage regenerative scaffolds. The structural architecture and composition of the cartilage extracellular matrix and the evolution of tissue engineering concepts and scaffold technology over the last two decades are outlined. Current advances in biomimetic techniques to produce nanoscaled fibrous scaffolds, together with innovative methods to improve scaffold biofunctionality with bioactive cues are highlighted. To date, the majority of research into cartilage regeneration has been focused on articular cartilage due to the high prevalence of large joint osteoarthritis in an increasingly aging population. Nevertheless, the principles and advances are applicable to cartilage engineering for plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Keywords

Nanotechnology - Biomimetics - Cartilage - Tissue scaffolds - Guided tissue regeneration


Publication History

Received: 06 June 2013

Accepted: 30 June 2013

Article published online:
02 May 2022

© 2014. The Korean Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License, permitting unrestricted noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)

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