Advanced healthcare materialsSep 15, 2025

Special Bone Scaffold Designed to Help Repair Damaged Cartilage and Bone in Joint Injuries

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 7, 2026

Abstract

A functionalized decalcified bone matrix (FDBM) scaffold has been developed that combines decellularized Wharton's jelly and gelatin with decalcified bone matrix.

FDBM supports the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into chondrocytes, promoting cartilage regeneration.
In vivo studies show that cartilage tissue formed from BMSCs on FDBM displays effective endochondral ossification in non-cartilage environments.
FDBM creates microenvironments conducive to both cartilage and bone formation, resembling natural joint tissue.
The scaffold has successfully repaired articular osteochondral defects in a rabbit model, indicating potential clinical applications.

Simplified

Decellularized Wharton's jelly (DWJ) and decalcified bone matrix (DBM) are naturally derived biomaterials that serve as ideal scaffolds for repairing articular defects. DWJ secretes various bioactive factors that promote cartilage regeneration. However, it lacks sufficient mechanical strength to provide adequate support. DBM has an appropriate mechanical strength and osteogenic inductivity. However, its excessively large pore size results in low cell adhesion rates. To address these challenges, in this study, a functionalized decalcified bone matrix (FDBM) scaffold is fabricated by loading DWJ mixed with gelatin (GT) onto DBM, which is followed by freeze-drying and cross-linking. In vitro, the FDBM demonstrates the ability to induce bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to differentiate into chondrocytes and regenerate high-quality cartilage-like tissues within the cartilage microenvironment. In vivo, the cartilage tissue, regenerated from the BMSCs loaded onto FDBM, exhibited a robust endochondral ossification effect in the non-cartilage environments. Furthermore, FDBM offers chondrogenic and osteogenic microenvironments similar to natural joint tissue and has successfully repaired articular osteochondral defects in a rabbit model of osteochondral composite defects. This functional composite scaffold offers a new strategy for the clinical treatment of osteochondral composite defects.

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Special Bone Scaffold Designed to Help Repair Damaged Cartilage and Bone in Joint Injuries

Abstract

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