Chitosan: A promising polymer for cartilage repair and viscosupplementation
Issue title: Selected papers from the 6th China–France International Symposium “Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine” and the first meeting of the France–China International CNRS Network (GDRI) CeSMeR, Nancy, 10–13 July 2016
Guest editors: J.-F. Stoltz, J. Magdalou and D. Bensoussan
Affiliations: [a] Bone and Cartilage Research Unit, Arthropôle Liège, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium | [b] KiOmed Pharma SA, rue Haute Claire 4, Herstal, Belgium | [c] Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Department, Princess Paola Hospital, Vivalia, Marche-en-Famenne, Belgium
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Yves Henrotin, Bone and Cartilage Research Unit, Arthropôle Liège, University of Liège, Institute of Pathology, level 5, CHU Sart Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium. Tel.: +32-4-2427727; Fax: +32-4-3664734; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful, degenerative and inflammatory disease that affects the entire synovial joints. Nowadays, no cure exists, and the pharmacological treatments are limited to symptoms alleviation. There is a need for a new efficient and safe treatment. Viscosupplementation is a process that aims to restore the normal rheological properties of synovial fluid. For the past years, hyaluronic acid was usually used but this molecule has some limitations including the short residency time in joint cavity. Recently, in vitro studies have suggested that chitosan could promote the expression of cartilage matrix components and reduce inflammatory and catabolic mediator’s production by chondrocytes. In vivo, chitosan prevented cartilage degradation and synovial membrane inflammation in OA induced rabbit model. Several studies have also shown that chitosan could induce chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Therefore, chitosan is an interesting polymer to design scaffold and hydrogel for cartilage lesion repair, cells transplantation, sustained drug release and viscosupplementation.
