Ontogeny informs regeneration: explant models to investigate the role of the extracellular matrix in cartilage tissue assembly and development.

The objective of this review is to highlight methods that investigate cartilage ontogenesis with native and model systems in the context of regenerative medicine. Specific emphasis is placed on the use of cartilage explant cultures that provide a physiologically relevant microenvironment to study tissue assembly and development. Ex vivo cartilage has proven to be a cost-effective and accessible model system that allows researchers to control the culture conditions and stimuli and perform proteomics and imaging studies that are not easily possible using in vivo experiments, while preserving native cell-matrix interactions. We anticipate our review will promote a developmental biology approach using explanted tissues to guide cartilage tissue engineering and inform new treatment methods for OA and joint damage. PMID: 32186210 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Connective Tissue Research - Category: Research Tags: Connect Tissue Res Source Type: research