AUTHOR=Wang Weiyang , Ye Ruixi , Xie Wenqing , Zhang Yueyao , An Senbo , Li Yusheng , Zhou Yang 

TITLE=Roles of the calcified cartilage layer and its tissue engineering reconstruction in osteoarthritis treatment

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.911281

DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.911281

ISSN=2296-4185

ABSTRACT=Sandwiched between articular cartilage and subchondral bone, calcified cartilage layer (CCL) takes on both biomechanical and biochemical functions in joint development and ordinary activities. The formation of CCL is not unique in articular cartilage, but can also be found in chondro-osseous junction adjacent to the growth plate during adolescence. Formation of CCL can be an active process under both cellular regulation and intercellular communication. Abnormal alterations of CCL can be indications of degenerative diseases including osteoarthritis. Owing to the limited self-repair capability of articular cartilage and core status of CCL in microenvironment maintenance, tissue engineering reconstruction of CCL in damaged cartilage can be of great significance. In this review, we emphasized the possible tissue engineering reconstruction methods targeting CCL for further OA treatment.