A Review of Current Regenerative Medicine Strategies that Utilize Nanotechnology to Treat Cartilage Damage.

Background Cartilage is an important found in a variety of anatomical locations. Damage to cartilage is particularly detrimental, owing to its intrinsically poor healing capacity. Current reconstructive options for cartilage repair are limited, and alternative approaches are required. Biomaterial science and Tissue are multidisciplinary areas of research that integrate biological and principles for the purpose of restoring premorbid function. Biomaterial science traditionally focuses on the replacement of diseased or damaged with implants. Conversely, utilizes porous biomimetic scaffolds, containing cells and bioactive molecules, to regenerate functional tissue. However, both paradigms feature several disadvantages. Faced with the increasing clinical burden of cartilage defects, attention has shifted towards the incorporation of Nanotechnology into these areas of regenerative medicine. Methods Searches were conducted on Pubmed using the terms cartilage, reconstruction, nanotechnology, nanomaterials, tissue engineering and biomaterials. Abstracts were examined to identify articles of relevance, and further papers were obtained from the citations within. Results The content of 96 articles was ultimately reviewed. The literature yielded no studies that have progressed beyond in vitro and in vivo experimentation. Several limitations to the use of nanomaterials to reconstruct damaged cartilage were identified in both the and biomaterial fields. Conclusion Nanomaterials have unique physicochemical properties that interact with biological systems in novel ways, potentially opening new avenues for the advancement of constructs used to repair cartilage. However, research into these technologies is in its infancy, and clinical translation remains elusive.