Home > Authors > Ang Li > Regulation of Chondrogenesis in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Cartilage Extracellular Matrix and Therapeutic Applications
Regulation of Chondrogenesis in Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells by Cartilage Extracellular Matrix and Therapeutic Applications
Cartilage has limited intrinsic healing potential upon injury, due to the low cell density and the lack of blood supply. Degenerative disease of the cartilage, such as osteoarthritis (OA), is challenging to treat without clear mechanistic understandings of cartilage development. With over 90% of the cartilage tissue occupied by extracellular matrix (ECM), understanding the cellular and molecular effects of cartilage ECM on chondrogenesis and chondrocyte behavior is crucial for therapeutic development. The focus of this work is to study the regulation of chondrogenesis and hypertrophic maturation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) by cartilage ECM in the context of potential therapeutic applications. To study the cartilage ECM, we created a decellularized ECM digest from native porcine cartilage and examined its effects on MSCs. Since native cartilage ECM maintains chondrocyte...
