This study presented a new method to fabricate SF-ECM scaffolds that potentially promote chondrogenesis of BMSCs, and open up new possibilities for using SF-ECM scaffolds as an off-the-shelf strategy for joint cartilage regeneration. It is worthy of further investigation in knee joints of animals, and beyond knee cartilage, this scaffold may also serve as an ideal biomaterial for the regeneration of other joint cartilages.
Keywords: articular cartilage; chondrogenesis; extracellular matrix; silk; stem cells; tissue engineering.