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Gels
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Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects
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Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2022) | Viewed by 30256

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Wei Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
International Institutes of Medicine, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 322000, China
Interests: biomaterials; hydrogels; 3D printing/bioprinting
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Wenwen Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
The Zhejiang University–University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: biomaterials; silk; elastin; hydrogel; stimuli-responsive materials; tissue regeneration; controlled release
Dr. Huitang Xia

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Shanghai 9th People’s Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
Interests: hydrogels; cartilage defect repair; cartilage regeneration; 3D printing/bioprinting

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue on “Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects” is dedicated to recent developments in the synthesis and characterization of hydrogels that have potential for the repair of cartilage defects, cartilage tissue engineering, and cartilage regeneration, including theoretical, fundamental, experimental and application aspects. Within this context, a broad range of subjects will be discussed, including hydrogel design, hydrogels with stem cells or chondrocytes, in vivo animal studies, and clinical trials.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease that causes pain and disability in millions of people worldwide. Cartilage defects are both one of the leading causes of, as well as a common symptom of, osteoarthritis. Cartilage defects demonstrate poor self-repair due to the nature of cartilage, with no blood vessels, nerves, or lymphatic tissue. It is necessary to develop biomaterials for the treatment of cartilage defects. In recent years, hydrogels have been widely developed and applied in vitro and in vivo for the potential repair of cartilage defects. Hydrogels are a class of biomaterial that can mimic the features of natural cartilage (e.g., elasticity, smooth surface, high water content). Hydrogels are also able to deliver cells and molecules (drugs and growth factors) to promote the healing of cartilage. Therefore, the development of hydrogels for cartilage defects repair, cartilage tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine are promising for the treatment of cartilage in OA.

We look forward to submissions reporting new concepts and recent results in hydrogels used for the repair of cartilage. Reviews that summarize the recent developments in advanced hydrogels for cartilage regeneration are also welcome. We hope that this Special Issue will stimulate new research and discoveries in the field of hydrogels and cartilage tissue engineering.

Prof. Dr. Wei Wei
Prof. Dr. Wenwen Huang
Dr. Huitang Xia
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogel
  • cartilage defect repair
  • tissue engineering
  • regeneration medicine

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research, Review

2 pages, 181 KiB  
Editorial
Editorial on the Special Issue “Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects”
by Wei Wei
Gels 2023, 9(1), 6; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9010006 - 22 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1232
Abstract
This Special Issue focuses on the recent advances in orthopedic hydrogels and regenerative medicine for the repair of cartilage defects [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)

Research

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13 pages, 2436 KiB  
Article
Mesenchymal Stem Cells–Hydrogel Microspheres System for Bone Regeneration in Calvarial Defects
by Chong Teng, Zhicheng Tong, Qiulin He, Huangrong Zhu, Lu Wang, Xianzhu Zhang and Wei Wei
Gels 2022, 8(5), 275; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8050275 - 29 Apr 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3209
Abstract
The repair of large bone defects in clinic is a challenge and urgently needs to be solved. Tissue engineering is a promising therapeutic strategy for bone defect repair. In this study, hydrogel microspheres (HMs) were fabricated to act as carriers for bone marrow [...] Read more.
The repair of large bone defects in clinic is a challenge and urgently needs to be solved. Tissue engineering is a promising therapeutic strategy for bone defect repair. In this study, hydrogel microspheres (HMs) were fabricated to act as carriers for bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to adhere and proliferate. The HMs were produced by a microfluidic system based on light-induced gelatin of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA). The HMs were demonstrated to be biocompatible and non-cytotoxic to stem cells. More importantly, the HMs promoted the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. In vivo, the ability of bone regeneration was studied by way of implanting a BMSC/HM system in the cranial defect of rats for 8 weeks. The results confirmed that the BMSC/HM system can induce superior bone regeneration compared with both the HMs alone group and the untreated control group. This study provides a simple and effective research idea for bone defect repair, and the subsequent optimization study of HMs will provide a carrier material with application prospects for tissue engineering in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)
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19 pages, 5584 KiB  
Article
PVA-Based Hydrogels Loaded with Diclofenac for Cartilage Replacement
by Ana C. Branco, Andreia S. Oliveira, Inês Monteiro, Pedro Nolasco, Diana C. Silva, Célio G. Figueiredo-Pina, Rogério Colaço and Ana P. Serro
Gels 2022, 8(3), 143; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8030143 - 24 Feb 2022
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 5042
Abstract
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have been widely studied for cartilage replacement due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, and ability to be modified such that they approximate natural tissue behavior. Additionally, they may also be used with advantages as local drug delivery systems. However, [...] Read more.
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogels have been widely studied for cartilage replacement due to their biocompatibility, chemical stability, and ability to be modified such that they approximate natural tissue behavior. Additionally, they may also be used with advantages as local drug delivery systems. However, their properties are not yet the most adequate for such applications. This work aimed to develop new PVA-based hydrogels for this purpose, displaying improved tribomechanical properties with the ability to control the release of diclofenac (DFN). Four types of PVA-based hydrogels were prepared via freeze-thawing: PVA, PVA/PAA (by polyacrylic acid (PAA) addition), PVA/PAA+PEG (by polyethylene glycol (PEG) immersion), and PVA/PAA+PEG+A (by annealing). Their morphology, water uptake, mechanical and rheological properties, wettability, friction coefficient, and drug release behavior were accessed. The irritability of the best-performing material was investigated. The results showed that the PAA addition increased the swelling and drug release amount. PEG immersion led to a more compact structure and significantly improved the material’s tribomechanical performance. The annealing treatment led to the material with the most suitable properties: besides presenting a low friction coefficient, it further enhanced the mechanical properties and ensured a controlled DFN release for at least 3 days. Moreover, it did not reveal irritability potential for biological tissues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)
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16 pages, 2177 KiB  
Article
Chitosan/Pluronic F127 Thermosensitive Hydrogel as an Injectable Dexamethasone Delivery Carrier
by Jomarien García-Couce, Miriela Tomás, Gastón Fuentes, Ivo Que, Amisel Almirall and Luis J. Cruz
Gels 2022, 8(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels8010044 - 7 Jan 2022
Cited by 58 | Viewed by 8576
Abstract
Intra-articular administration of anti-inflammatory drugs is a strategy that allows localized action on damaged articular cartilage and reduces the side effects associated with systemic drug administration. The objective of this work is to prepare injectable thermosensitive hydrogels for the long-term application of dexamethasone. [...] Read more.
Intra-articular administration of anti-inflammatory drugs is a strategy that allows localized action on damaged articular cartilage and reduces the side effects associated with systemic drug administration. The objective of this work is to prepare injectable thermosensitive hydrogels for the long-term application of dexamethasone. The hydrogels were prepared by mixing chitosan (CS) and Pluronic-F127 (PF) physically. In addition, tripolyphosphate (TPP) was used as a crosslinking agent. Chitosan added to the mix increased the gel time compared to the pluronic gel alone. The incorporation of TPP into the material modified the morphology of the hydrogels formed. Subsequently, MTS and Live/Dead® experiments were performed to investigate the toxicity of hydrogels against human chondrocytes. The in vitro releases of dexamethasone (DMT) from CS-PF and CS-PF-TPP gels had an initial burst and took more time than that from the PF hydrogel. In vivo studies showed that hydrogels retained the fluorescent compound longer in the joint than when administered in PBS alone. These results suggest that the CS-PF and CS-PF-TPP hydrogels loaded with DMT could be a promising drug delivery platform for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)
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16 pages, 6861 KiB  
Article
Chondrocyte Spheroids Laden in GelMA/HAMA Hybrid Hydrogel for Tissue-Engineered Cartilage with Enhanced Proliferation, Better Phenotype Maintenance, and Natural Morphological Structure
by Guanhuier Wang, Yang An, Xinling Zhang, Pengbing Ding, Hongsen Bi and Zhenmin Zhao
Gels 2021, 7(4), 247; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels7040247 - 2 Dec 2021
Cited by 26 | Viewed by 5662
Abstract
Three-dimensional cell-laden tissue engineering has become an extensive research direction. This study aimed to evaluate whether chondrocyte spheroids (chondro-spheroids) prepared using the hanging-drop method could develop better cell proliferation and morphology maintenance characteristics, and be optimized as a micro unit for cartilage tissue [...] Read more.
Three-dimensional cell-laden tissue engineering has become an extensive research direction. This study aimed to evaluate whether chondrocyte spheroids (chondro-spheroids) prepared using the hanging-drop method could develop better cell proliferation and morphology maintenance characteristics, and be optimized as a micro unit for cartilage tissue engineering. Chondro-spheroids were loaded into a cross-linkable hybrid hydrogel of gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) in vivo and in vitro. Cell proliferation, aggregation, cell morphology maintenance as well as cartilage-related gene expression and matrix secretion in vitro and in vivo were evaluated. The results indicated that compared with chondrocyte-laden hydrogel, chondro-spheroid-laden hydrogel enhanced proliferation, had better phenotype maintenance, and a more natural morphological structure, which made it appropriate for use as a micro unit in cartilage tissue engineering. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)
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Review

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13 pages, 1424 KiB  
Review
Enhancing Stem Cell Therapy for Cartilage Repair in Osteoarthritis—A Hydrogel Focused Approach
by Yisi Liu, Meng Wang, Yixuan Luo, Qianyi Liang, Yin Yu, Fei Chen and Jun Yao
Gels 2021, 7(4), 263; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels7040263 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 5225
Abstract
Stem cells hold tremendous promise for the treatment of cartilage repair in osteoarthritis. In addition to their multipotency, stem cells possess immunomodulatory effects that can alleviate inflammation and enhance cartilage repair. However, the widely clinical application of stem cell therapy to cartilage repair [...] Read more.
Stem cells hold tremendous promise for the treatment of cartilage repair in osteoarthritis. In addition to their multipotency, stem cells possess immunomodulatory effects that can alleviate inflammation and enhance cartilage repair. However, the widely clinical application of stem cell therapy to cartilage repair and osteoarthritis has proven difficult due to challenges in large-scale production, viability maintenance in pathological tissue site and limited therapeutic biological activity. This review aims to provide a perspective from hydrogel-focused approach to address few key challenges in stem cell-based therapy for cartilage repair and highlight recent progress in advanced hydrogels, particularly microgels and dynamic hydrogels systems for improving stem cell survival, retention and regulation of stem cell fate. Finally, progress in hydrogel-assisted gene delivery and genome editing approaches for the development of next generation of stem cell therapy for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis are highlighted. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Hydrogels for the Repair of Cartilage Defects)
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