[Chondrocytes application in regenerative medicine]

Abstract

Cartilage reconstruction is a crucial issue for tissue engineering because of high damage frequency in connection with low regenerative capacity. Microfractures and shaving are the oldest and most commonly used practices. The newest techniques are: Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation, Matrix Associated Chondrocytes Implantation and their derivatives. Dedifferentiation of chondrocytes due to low proliferation rate and phenotype loss makes isolation and in vitro culture of normal human chondrocytes very complex. Therefore, obtaining mesenchymal stem cells from various sources and differentiating them into chondrocytes is another interesting approach.