Osteoarthritis, the main cause of disability worldwide, involves not only cartilage injury but also subchondral bone injury, which brings challenges to clinical repair. Tissue engineering strategies provide a promising solution to this degenerative disease. Articular cartilage connects to subchondral bone through the osteochondral interfacial tissue, which has a complex anatomical architecture, distinct cell distribution and unique biomechanical properties. Forming a continuous and stable osteochondral interface between cartilage tissue and subchondral bone is challenging. Thus, successful osteochondral regeneration with engineering strategies requires intricately coordinated interplay between cells, materials, biological factors, and physical/chemical factors. This review provides an overview of the anatomical composition, microstructure, and biomechanical properties of the osteochondral interface. Additionally, the latest research on the progress related to osteochondral regeneration is reviewed, especially discussing the fabrication of biomimetic scaffolds and the regulation of biological factors for osteochondral defects.
Keywords: Articular cartilage; Gradients; Osteoarthritis; Osteochondral interface; Tissue engineering.
© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Biomedical Engineering Society.