Constructing functionalized cartilage organoids by preserving mitochondrial homeostasis to accelerate cartilage repair
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Due to the lack of blood vessels and nerves in cartilage tissue, its regeneration and repair has always been a clinical challenge. Cartilage organoids (COs) are miniature cartilage tissues cultivated using stem cells or chondrocytes, which have a broad application prospect in the field of cartilage regeneration and repair. However, prolonged scaffold-based culture of COs is often accompanied by chondrocyte hypertrophy and excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, which may compromise the maintenance of a stable cartilage phenotype. In this study, transcriptomic analysis of COs cultured for up to 8 weeks revealed stage-dependent changes in stress- and matrix-related programs and suggested that altered mitochondrial homeostasis may be associated with phenotypic deterioration. To address this problem, this study constructed a MnO 2 -Melatonin@DNA-SF hydrogel (Mn-Me@DSH) bioink matrix by loading MnO 2 nanoparticles and Melatonin on DNA-SF hydrogels. Subsequently, we bioprinted BMSCs with Mn-Me@DSH using a DLP system to produce a functionalized COs that could maintain mitochondrial homeostasis. These engineered COs effectively repaired cartilage defects in rats within 6 weeks. This study breaks through the limitations of the traditional COs in the oxidative stress microenvironment through the ROS scavenging, and provides a new solution for the construction of functionalized COs and cartilage regeneration.
Source: Bioactive Materials
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,200
OpenAlex ID: W7225793155