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Extracellular Matrix Biomimicry for Cartilage Tissue Formation

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Cartilage: From Biology to Biofabrication

Abstract

Development of biomimetic constructs for cartilage tissue regeneration has become an increasing field of interest in today’s biomedical research. Both, synthetic and natural compound-based scaffolds are being used for biomimetic construct formation, and their mix, with polylactic acid (PLA), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), etc., being on the lead of most commonly used synthetic materials and cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, such as collagens, hyaluronic acid (HA), glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), and proteoglycans, are the most popular ones for developing natural scaffolds/hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering purposes. Most important properties for both types of scaffolds include fluid absorption, piezoelectric properties, surface parameters, porosity, electrical conductance, stiffness, and wettability. Synthetic materials are mostly favorable for their stiffness and mechanical stability, while natural molecules are advantageous for mimicking the in vivo environment, stimulating cell differentiation processes and possessing biodegradability. In order to achieve the highest biomimicry of a construct to be used for regenerative purposes of cartilage tissue, optimal conditions of scaffold synthesis and its application techniques should be optimized. To date, no effective scaffold system exists, which would overcome every difficulty, and challenges of developing a qualitative construct remain high. However, a number of studies demonstrated promising results of using different kinds of scaffolds, suggesting their potential application for clinical trials. This chapter deals with synthetic, natural, and their mixed scaffolds, as well as their properties and functions for stimulating cellular responses for cartilage regeneration purposes. We observe scaffolds’ basic chemical/biological properties, their effects on chondrogenic differentiation, and physical stimuli, such as mechanical and electrical stimulations. We assume this chapter will bring novel insights for early and advanced scaffold developers and will help indicate the most important properties of a scaffold system required for cartilage tissue regeneration.

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Correspondence to Eiva Bernotiene .

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© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

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Vaiciuleviciute, R. et al. (2023). Extracellular Matrix Biomimicry for Cartilage Tissue Formation. In: Baghaban Eslaminejad, M., Hosseini, S. (eds) Cartilage: From Biology to Biofabrication. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-2452-3_8

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