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Review
. 2025 Jul 17;11(7):551.
doi: 10.3390/gels11070551.

Recent Evidence for Orthobiologics Combined with Hydrogels for Joint Tissue Regeneration: Focus on Osteoarthritis

Carola Cavallo  1 , Giovanna Desando  1 , Martina D'Alessandro  1 , Brunella Grigolo  1 , Livia Roseti  1
Affiliations
Review

Recent Evidence for Orthobiologics Combined with Hydrogels for Joint Tissue Regeneration: Focus on Osteoarthritis

Carola Cavallo et al. Gels. .

Abstract

Osteoarthritis is a significant global problem, causing pain and limitations, and contributing to socioeconomic expenses. The etiopathogenesis of this disease encloses genetic, biological, and mechanical aspects. Regenerative medicine, utilizing tissue engineering, has opened the way to new therapeutic approaches employing various orthobiologics. Combined with hydrogels, these compounds may represent a notable option for treating degenerative and inflammatory lesions in OA. The review reports on the main orthobiologics used in preclinical and clinical studies, as well as their association with various types of natural and synthetic hydrogels. Research may increasingly focus on tailored therapies adjusted to suit the joint involved and the severity of the pathology encountered in each patient.

Keywords: BMC; MSCs; PRP; SVF; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; growth factors; hydrogel; orthobiologics; osteoarthritis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The main biological characteristics and variables of orthobiologics with interest in regenerative medicine.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Tissue engineering main protagonists. The image was created with BioRen-der.com (Website homepage: https://www.biorender.com/, accessed on 12 May 2025).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scheme representing hydrogel classification. Hydrogels are classified according to their source of origin, type of synthesis, ionic charge, type of crosslinking, and induced response.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Image of orthobiologics used in clinical practice and/or investigated for OA treatments. These include chondrocytes, Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and other sources (such as synovial tissue, teeth, peripheral blood), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow and adipose tissue concentrates, and exosomes. The image was created with BioRender.com (Website homepage: https://www.biorender.com/, accessed on: 12 May 2025).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Three-dimensional Bioprinting of different orthobiologics with suitable hydrogels for future tissue engineering applications. The image was created with BioRen-der.com (Website homepage: https://www.biorender.com/, accessed on: 12 May 2025).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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