Special Issue "The Chondrocyte Phenotype in Cartilage Biology"

Guest Editor
Dr. Ali Mobasheri
Division of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
Website: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/Vet/People/ali.mobasheri
E-Mail: ali.mobasheri@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: +44 115 9516449
Fax: +44 115 9516440
Interests: quantitative immunohistochemical and immunomorhological techniques; post-genomic techniques including tissue microarray technology and proteomics in veterinary medicine

Dear Colleagues,

Articular cartilage is an avascular load-bearing connective tissue with a very limited capacity for intrinsic repair. As a consequence, it is highly prone to structural degradation, making it particularly difficult to restore once it is damaged or lost. The chondrocyte is the only cell type that resides within articular cartilage and is solely responsible for the synthesis and turnover of the extracellular matrix (ECM). For more than two decades chondrocytes have been used clinically in cell-based cartilage repair strategies. However, in most cases dedifferentiated cells are used in procedures such as autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI). Cell based repair strategies require large numbers of undifferentiated cells. This special issue is entitled "The Chondrocyte Phenotype in Cartilage Biology". It is dedicated to recent progress in our understanding of the unique chondrocyte phenotype and how it can be manipulated for ensuring successful cell-based cartilage repair strategies.

Dr. Ali Mobasheri
Guest Editor

Submission

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• osteoarthritis
• articular cartilage
• cartilage
• repair
• cell culture
• chondrocyte
• phenotype
• cell-based repair
• autologous chondrocyte implantation
• differentiation
• dedifferentiation

Type of Paper: Review
Title: Redifferentiation of Dedifferentiated Articular Chondrocytes: Effects of Physical and Biochemical Factors in Biomimetic Culture Systems
Author: Ali Mobasheri
Affiliation: Division of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, College Road, Sutton Bonington, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK; E-Mail: ali.mobasheri@nottingham.ac.uk
Abstract: Chondrocytes rapidly dedifferentiate after isolation from articular cartilage and cultivation in 2-dimensional culture. The dedifferentiation of chondrocytes makes cell-based treatments for articular cartilage repair a major challenge. Autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI) is a commonly used cell-based cartilage repair method that relies on the availability of expanded (de-differentiated) chondrocytes. However, the expansion process causes a number of phenotypic changes, requiring re-establishment of the native chondrogenic phenotype to sustain effective repair. Recent studies suggest that 3-dimensional cultures exhibit the most potent chondrogenic potential on dedifferentiated chondrocytes. This paper reviews the recent literature on effects of physical and biochemical factors on chondrocyte redifferentiation.