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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Sep 26, 2025; 17(9): 108523
Published online Sep 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i9.108523
Published online Sep 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i9.108523
Stem cell-based cartilage regeneration: Biological strategies, engineering innovations, and clinical translation
Bo Cong, Feng-Hua Zhang, Hai-Guang Zhang, Department of Orthopaedics, Yantaishan Hospital, Yantaishan Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai Key Laboratory for Repair and Reconstruction of Bone & Joint, Yantai 264003, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Cong B and Zhang FH designed, supervised and drafted the manuscript; Zhang HG contributed to the critical revision, writing - review & editing; All authors have read and approved the article.
Supported by Yantai Science and Technology Innovation Development Plan Project, No. 2023YD048.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hai-Guang Zhang, Department of Orthopaedics, Yantaishan Hospital, Yantaishan Hospital Affiliated to Binzhou Medical University, Yantai Key Laboratory for Repair and Reconstruction of Bone & Joint, No. 10087 Science and Technology Avenue, Laishan District, Yantai 264003, Shandong Province, China. zhg10087@163.com
Received: April 17, 2025
Revised: May 27, 2025
Accepted: July 8, 2025
Published online: September 26, 2025
Processing time: 161 Days and 2.2 Hours
Revised: May 27, 2025
Accepted: July 8, 2025
Published online: September 26, 2025
Processing time: 161 Days and 2.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This review highlights the emerging role of stem cell-based strategies in articular cartilage regeneration. By integrating the biological potential of mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells with engineering advances such as bioactive scaffolds, growth factor delivery, and three-dimensional bioprinting, these approaches aim to overcome the limitations of traditional therapies. We also discuss cutting-edge developments including gene editing and exosome-based therapeutics, offering new insights into personalized and durable cartilage repair solutions.