Migrating Progenitor Cells Derived From Injured Cartilage Surface Respond to Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns

Achieving Nasal Septal Cartilage In Situ Regeneration: Focus on Cartilage Progenitor Cells

The nasal septal cartilage plays an important role in preventing the collapse of the nasal bones and maintaining the appearance of the nose. In the context of inherent difficulties regarding septal cartilage repair and the shortage of cartilage graft resources for regeneration, tissue engineering, especially the in situ strategy based on scaffolds, has become a new prospect and become one of the most promising approaches. Given that it is difficult for chondrocytes to achieve directional migration and secrete matrix components to participate in tissue repair after cartilage injury, cartilage progenitor cells (CPCs), with great migratory ability and stem cell characteristics, have caught the attention of researchers and brought hope for nasal septal cartilage in situ regeneration. In this review, we first summarized the distribution, characteristics, isolation, and culture methods of nasal septal CPCs. Subsequently, we described the roles of migratory CPCs in cartilage regeneration. Finally, we reviewed the existing studies on CPCs-based cartilage tissue engineering and summarized the strategies for promoting the migration and chondrogenesis of CPCs so as to provide ideas for achieving nasal septal cartilage in situ regeneration.

Structural clues to articular calcified cartilage function: A descriptive review of this crucial interface tissue

Articular calcified cartilage (ACC) has been dismissed, by some, as a remnant of endochondral ossification without functional relevance to joint articulation or weight-bearing. Recent research indicates that morphologic and metabolic ACC features may be important, reflecting knee joint osteoarthritis (OA) predisposition. ACC is less investigated than neighbouring joint tissues, with its component chondrocytes and mineralised matrix often being either ignored or integrated into analyses of hyaline articular cartilage and subchondral bone tissue respectively. Anatomical variation in ACC is recognised between species, individuals and age groups, but the selective pressures underlying this variation are unknown. Consequently, optimal ACC biomechanical features are also unknown as are any potential locomotory roles. This review collates descriptions of ACC anatomy and biology in health and disease, with a view to revealing its structure/function relationship and highlighting potential future research avenues. Mouse models of healthy and OA joint ageing have shown disparities in ACC load-induced deformations at the knee joint. This raises the hypothesis that ACC response to locomotor forces over time may influence, or even underlie, the bony and hyaline cartilage symptoms characteristic of OA. To effectively investigate the ACC, greater resolution of joint imaging and merging of hierarchical scale data will be required. An appreciation of OA as a 'whole joint disease' is expanding, as is the possibility that the ACC may be a key player in healthy ageing and in the transition to OA joint pathology.