Cartilage

Overview

Cartilage is an avascular, aneural connective tissue composed of chondrocytes embedded in an extracellular matrix of type II collagen, proteoglycans such as aggrecan, and water, which together confer compressive resistance and resilience. Three principal types are distinguished: hyaline cartilage, which covers articular surfaces and forms the costal and respiratory cartilages; elastic cartilage of the external ear and epiglottis; and fibrocartilage of the menisci and intervertebral discs. Articular hyaline cartilage exhibits distinctive chemical, physical, and tribological properties, providing near-frictionless load-bearing across joints; because it lacks vasculature, its intrinsic capacity for repair is limited, and matrix degradation underlies osteoarthritis. These constraints have driven tissue-engineering and regenerative strategies, including chondroplasty, scaffold-based approaches using biomaterials such as chitosan and bone matrix, and cell-based repair. Cartilage-related proteins also appear ectopically in pathological tissues, and grafted cartilage is used in reconstructive surgery. Research relevant to this area examines the chemical, physical, and tribological characterization of articular cartilage, chondroplasty and bone-matrix repair, synovial and cartilage changes in arthritic joints, biomaterial scaffolds for cartilage and bone, osteoarthritis interventions, and cartilage-perichondrium grafting. This peer-reviewed literature reflects the structural biology, degeneration, and repair of cartilage, central to the study of osteoarthritis and joint preservation.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 277 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

• Tuning the biological scaffolds’ performance by the combination of two antioxidant and antimicrobial chitosan derivatives
  2026 · Carbohydrate Polymer Technologies and Applications
• Biodegradable chitosan-cellulose and sub-spherical nanocrystals composite piezoelectric thin film
  2026 · npj Flexible Electronics
• Stimuli‐Responsive Crosslinked Chitosan/PVP/PEG Hydrogel Networks for Targeted Drug Delivery and Antimicrobial Performance
  2026 · Analytical Science Advances
• A shear-thinning bio-adhesive sealant with wet tissue adhesion and instant haemostasis
  2026 · Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology
• Chitosan Nanoparticles: A Comparative Analysis of Synthesis Techniques and Controlled Release Mechanisms for Biomedical Applications
  2026 · BioNanoScience
• Biocompatible chitosan-gelatine-silk hydrogel for the temporary storage of hair follicles during transplantation
  2026 · International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
• Research progress on modified chitosan hydrogels for tissue repair and regeneration
  2026 · Carbohydrate Polymers
• Development and characterization of hybrid hydrogels derived from decellularized human umbilical cord for tissue engineering applications
  2026 · Journal of Drug Delivery Science and Technology

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Cartilage, linking to each citing work.

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.

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