How does articular cartilage grow?

The holes are made in the bone beneath the cartilage, called subchondral bone. This action creates a healing response. New blood supply can reach the joint surface, bringing with it new cells that will form the new cartilage.

What affects articular cartilage?

Articular cartilage injuries can occur as a result of either traumatic mechanical destruction, or progressive mechanical degeneration (wear and tear). With mechanical destruction, a direct blow or other trauma can injure the articular cartilage.

Which factor is responsible for chondrocyte development?

Polypeptide growth factors play a central role in articular chondrocyte function. Several anabolic and mitogenic factors have been identified that help maintain cartilage homeostasis in normal joints.

What is the primary limiting factor for cartilage healing potential?

Chondroprogenitors for cell-based cartilage tissue repair Nonetheless, the major challenge of identifying a practical and abundant source of expandable chondroprogenitors is still a limiting factor for their utilization for cartilage repair.

What is the purpose of articular cartilage?

Articular cartilage is a thin layer of specialized connective tissue with unique viscoelastic properties. Its principal function is to provide a smooth, lubricated surface for low friction articulation and to facilitate the transmission of loads to the underlying subchondral bone.

Can you hurt your articular cartilage?

Injury to the articular cartilage may be the result of a chronic wear and tear process, or may be caused by a traumatic knee injury such as an ACL tear. Patients with articular cartilage injury will often complain of knee pain, especially with activity, swelling and stiffness.

What type of cell is chondrocyte?

Cartilage cells, called chondrocytes, occur at scattered sites through the cartilage and receive nutrition by diffusion through the gel; cartilage contains no blood vessels or nerves, unlike bone.

How do you regenerate cartilage?

Damaged cartilage can be treated through a technique called microfracture, in which tiny holes are drilled in the surface of a joint. The microfracture technique prompts the body to create new tissue in the joint, but the new tissue is not much like cartilage.

What is a Mosaicplasty?

Mosaicplasty is a technique in which cartilage (‘chondral’) lesions and bone and cartilage (‘osteochondral’) lesions are repaired by harvesting and transplanting cylindrical plugs of bone and cartilage.

Why are growth factors important for cartilage restoration?

Numerous growth factors are responsible for maintaining healthy cartilage in the joints, both promoting cartilage restoration and counterbalancing dedicated substances that break cartilage down.

When to use growth factors for osteoarthritis?

Growth factor treatments offer potential benefits to prevent osteoarthritis (especially at its early stages) later in life, as well as being an immediate consideration after sports injury, when the prevention of further damage is a priority.

Why are growth factors important to the body?

Growth factors are really a broad range of diverse substances that are capable of activating and stimulating the growth and repair of damaged tissue as well as protect cells from death. They therefore offer a very promising avenue for both treatment and further study.

What causes the loss of cartilage in the joints?

Loss of cartilage usually occurs when the usual balance of building (synthesis) and breaking down (degradation) of tissue that helps to maintain a healthy joint becomes imbalanced. This leads to a steady decline in the quality and quantity of cartilage structure.

How does articular cartilage grow? The holes are made in the bone beneath the cartilage, called subchondral bone. This action creates a healing response. New blood supply can reach the joint surface, bringing with it new cells that will form the new cartilage. What affects articular cartilage? Articular cartilage injuries can occur as a result…