Use of Recombinant Human Stromal Cell–Derived Factor 1α–Loaded Fibrin/Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel Networks to Achieve Functional Repair of Full‐Thickness Bovine Articular Cartilage Via Homing of Chondrogenic Progenitor Cells
Objective: Articular cartilage damage after joint trauma seldom heals and often leads to osteoarthritis (OA). We previously identified a migratory chondrogenic progenitor cell (CPC) population that responded chemotactically to cell death and rapidly repopulated the injured cartilage matrix, which suggested their potential for articular cartilage repair. To test that potential we determined whether SDF-1α, a potent CPC chemoattractant, would improve the quality of cartilage regeneration. We hypothesized that increased recruitment of CPCs by rhSDF-1α would promote the formation of cartilage matrix upon chondrogenic induction. Methods: Full-thickness bovine chondral defects were filled with hydrogel comprised of fibrin and hyaluronic acid and containing rhSDF-1α. Cell migration was monitored, followed by chondrogenic induction. Regenerated tissue was evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry, and scanning electron microscopy. Push-out tests and unconfined compression tests were performed to assess the strength of tissue integration and the mechanical properties of regenerated cartilage. Results: rhSDF-1α dramatically improved CPCs recruitment to defects at 12 days. After 6 weeks under chondrogenic conditions, cell morphology, proteoglycan density, and ultrastructure of repair tissue, were similar to native cartilage. Neocartilage generated in rhSDF-1α-containing defects showed significantly greater interfacial strength than controls, and acquired mechanical properties comparable to native cartilage. Conclusion: This study showed that stimulating local CPCs recruitment prior to treatment with chondrogenic factors significantly improves the biochemical and mechanical properties of tissues formed in chondral defects. This simple approach may be implemented in vivo as a one-step procedure by staging the release of chemokine and chondrogenic factors from within the hydrogel using smart drug delivery systems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 26. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 12 May 2026.
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#10
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Altmetric has tracked 31,439,095 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 94th percentile: it's in the top 10% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 3,457 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 22.0. This one has done well, scoring higher than 82% of its peers.
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We're also able to compare this research output to 83 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done well, scoring higher than 87% of its contemporaries.
