====== Chondrogenic ======


Chondrogenic refers to the ability of a [[cell]] or [[tissue]] to differentiate into [[cartilage]], which is a type of [[connective tissue]] that provides support and cushioning in the body. [[Chondrogenesis]] is the process by which cartilage is formed during embryonic development, and chondrogenic cells can continue to generate new cartilage throughout life.

Chondrogenic cells are commonly used in [[tissue engineering]] and [[regenerative medicine]] applications, as they have the potential to form new [[cartilage]] tissue to repair damaged or diseased [[joint]]s. Chondrogenic cells can be derived from various sources, including [[mesenchymal stem cell]]s (MSCs), [[chondrocyte]]s (cartilage cells), and induced [[pluripotent stem cell]]s (iPSCs).

There are several factors that can influence chondrogenic differentiation, including [[growth factor]]s, mechanical stimuli, and the presence of [[extracellular matrix]] components such as [[collagen]] and [[hyaluronic acid]]. [[Researcher]]s are actively exploring methods to optimize chondrogenic differentiation protocols to enhance the formation of functional cartilage tissue.

Chondrogenic differentiation is an active area of research, and ongoing studies are focused on developing new cell-based therapies for cartilage repair and exploring the potential of chondrogenic cells in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications.
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Koo et al. used a [[rat tail nucleotomy model]] to develop mechanically stable collagen-[[cryogel]] and [[fibrillated collagen]] with shape-memory for use in [[minimally invasive surgery]] for effective treatment of IVDD. The collagen was loaded with [[hyaluronic acid]] (HA) into a rat tail nucleotomy model.

The shape-memory collagen structures exhibited outstanding [[chondrogenic]] activities, having completely similar physical properties to those of a typical shape-memory alginate construct in terms of water absorption, compressive properties, and shape-memorability behavior. The treatment of rat tail nucleotomy model with shape-memory collagen-cryogel/HA alleviated mechanical allodynia, maintained a higher concentration of water content, and preserved the disc structure by restoring the matrix proteins.

According to these results, the [[collagen]]-based structure could effectively repair and maintain the [[Intervertebral disc]] [[matrix]] better than the controls, including [[hyaluronic acid]] only and shape-memory alginate with [[hyaluronic acid]]
((Koo YW, Lim CS, Darai A, Lee J, Kim W, Han I, Kim GH. Shape-memory collagen scaffold combined with hyaluronic acid for repairing [[intervertebral disc]]. Biomater Res. 2023 Mar 29;27(1):26. doi: 10.1186/s40824-023-00368-9. PMID: 36991502.))