In the field of regenerative medicine, creating a biomaterial device with the potential alone to affect cellular fate is a desirable translational strategy. Native tissues and growth factors are attractive candidates to provide desired signals in a biomaterial environment. However, these molecules can have translational challenges such as high cost, complicated regulatory pathways, and/or limitations with reproducibility. In regenerative medicine, there is a burgeoning community of investigators who seek to overcome these challenges by introducing synthetic peptides to mimic the desirable signals provided by growth factors and tissue matrices. Since in cartilage tissue, cell-adhesion signaling mediates cell migration, growth, and differentiation, synthetic peptides that mimic a desired cell-adhesion sequence may help to control cellular fate. This review emphasizes the value of the signaling ability of peptides, specifically in the cartilage regeneration field. The primary challenge in cartilage regeneration is to regenerate true hyaline cartilage instead of a fibrous tissue. The vision is to create materials that take advantage of the signaling abilities of peptides and that themselves induce chondrogenesis without the need for tissue-derived matrix or growth factors, which could potentially revolutionize arthritis prevention and treatment.
Keywords: bioactive peptide; cartilage regeneration; chondroinductive; synthetic biomaterial.