Authors
Ling Zhang, Xuan Liu, Jinping Liang, Boyu Kuang, Haojie Zhang, Mengxiao Wei, Linjia Wu, Nanzhen Liu, Qidi Ai, Songwei Yang, Yantao Yang
Published in
Regenerative therapy. Volume 33. Pages 101181. Epub Oct 03, 2026.
Abstract
Osteochondral defects, frequently resulting from trauma, infection, or degenerative joint disease, present a significant clinical challenge due to their limited intrinsic healing capacity. Conventional cell-based therapies face limitations including immune rejection, high costs, and regulatory hurdles. Endogenous tissue engineering, which harnesses the body's own repair machinery through biomaterial-mediated recruitment and differentiation of host stem cells, offers a promising alternative. Hydrogel scaffolds, owing to their extracellular matrix-mimetic architecture, tunable physicochemical properties, and capacity for bioactive factor delivery, have emerged as versatile platforms for endogenous osteochondral regeneration. This review provides a strategic overview of hydrogel-based endogenous tissue engineering, covering: (1) the biological rationale for leveraging host cell sources; (2) the design of hydrogels as extracellular matrix -mimetic niches; (3) key regulatory factors; (4) innovative material design strategies. We also discuss current challenges related to long-term functionality, scaffold integration, and clinical translation, offering insights into the development of next-generation hydrogel systems for minimally invasive and effective osteochondral regeneration.
PMID:
42861048
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 12 Oct 2026.
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