It is well known that the capacity for repair of articular cartilage is limited. Hunter in 1743, stated that: " from Hippocrates to the present age, it is universally allowed that ulcerated cartilage is a troublesome thing and that when destroyed, it is not recovered ". 1 There has been complacent acceptance of the common and random degeneration of joints with ageing. 2,3 Notions that degenerat...

Objective. To investigate the expression and target genes of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) in cartilage and chondrocytes, respectively. Methods. We analyzed the expression pattern of PEDF in different human cartilaginous tissues including articular cartilage, osteophytic cartilage, and fetal epiphyseal and growth plate cartilage, by immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time (qR...

This mini review is focused on the emerging nexus between the medical device and pharmaceutical industries toward the treatment of damaged articular cartilage. The physical rationale of hyaluronic acid and phospholipid preparations as tribological surgical adjuvants for repaired articular cartilage surfaces is explored, with directions for possible new research which have arisen due to the ther...

Articular cartilage lesions in the young population predispose to the development of precocious osteoarthritis. Poor healing of cartilage damaged by trauma or degeneration has been ascribed to avascularity. Cartilage lesions are associated with significant morbidity, including lifestyle restrictions, especially in individuals engaged in sports. The past decade has seen the evolution of a number...

Articular cartilage is a very complex composite material, overlaying diarthrodial joints surfaces (e.g. knee, shoulder, temporomandibular, etc.), holding load bearing, lubrication and shock absorbing capabilities [1]. Characterization of articular cartilage material properties is necessary to study its mechanical response and consequently its impact on joints biomechanics [2]. Furthermore, the ...

Articular cartilage damage and subsequent degeneration are a frequent occurrence in synovial joints. Treatment of these lesions is a challenge because this tissue is incapable of quality repair and/or regeneration to its native state. Non-operative treatments endeavour to control symptoms and include anti-inflammatory medications, viscosupplementation, bracing, orthotics and activity modificati...

BACKGROUND Spontaneous recovery from articular cartilage injury is difficult, and the ongoing progression of disease can eventually lead to osteoarthritis. Currently, there is no effective non-surgical treatment for articular cartilage injury. Arthroscopic debridement and microfracture surgery are performed for fibrocartilage repair. But fibrocartilage is different from normal articular cartila...

The aim of this study was to determine whether low-level laser therapy (LLLT) aided the recovery of damaged articular cartilage in joints with artificially induced osteoarthropathy (OA). OA was induced by injecting hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into the articular spaces of both knees in rabbits, twice a week for 4 weeks. The induction of OA and the effect of LLLT were evaluated by biochemical, radio...

Articular cartilage lesions in the athletic population are observed with increasing frequency and, due to limited intrinsic healing capacity, can lead to progressive pain and functional limitation over time. If left untreated, isolated cartilage lesions can lead to progressive chondropenia or global cartilage loss over time. A chondropenia curve is described to help predict the outcome of carti...

Articular cartilage is critical to the normal function of diarthrodial joints. Despite the importance of the tissue and the prevalence of cartilage degeneration (e.g., osteoarthritis), the technology required to noninvasively describe nonuniform deformations throughout the volume of the tissue has not been available until recently. The objectives of the work reported in this paper were to 1) de...