Page 367 - IJB-9-3

International Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Meniscus heterogeneity and 3D-printed

strategies for engineering anisotropic meniscus

†
†
Ming-Ze Du , Yun Dou , Li-Ya Ai, Tong Su, Zhen Zhang, You-Rong Chen*,
Dong Jiang*
Department of Sports Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital, Institute of Sports Medicine of Peking
University, Beijing Key Laboratory of Sports Injuries, Beijing, 100191, China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in 3D bioprinting for regenerative medicine
and drug screening)

Abstract

The meniscus is a fibrocartilaginous tissue of the knee joint that plays an important
role in load transmission, shock absorption, joint stability maintenance, and contact
stress reduction. Mild meniscal injuries can be treated with simple sutures, whereas
severe injuries inevitably require meniscectomy. Meniscectomy destroys the
mechanical microenvironment of the knee joint, leading to cartilage degeneration
and osteoarthritis. Tissue engineering techniques, as a strategy with diverse sources
and customizable and adjustable mechanical and biological properties, have emerged
as promising approaches for the treatment of meniscal injuries and are represented
† These authors contributed equally by 3D printing. Notably, the heterogeneity of the meniscus, including its anatomical

to this work
structure, cell phenotype, extracellular matrix, and biomechanical properties,
*Corresponding authors: is crucial for its normal function. Therefore, the construction of heterogeneous
Dong Jiang tissue-engineered menisci (TEM) has become a research hotspot in this field. In this
(bysyjiangdong@126.com)
You-Rong Chen review, we systematically summarize the heterogeneity of menisci and 3D-printed
(chenyourong1990@pku.edu.cn) strategies for tissue-engineered anisotropic menisci. The manufacturing techniques,
Citation: Du MZ, Dou Y, Ai LY, biomaterial combinations, surface functionalization, growth factors, and bioreactors
2023, Meniscus heterogeneity related to 3D-printed strategies are introduced and a promising direction for the
and 3D-printed strategies for future research is proposed.
engineering anisotropic meniscus.
Int J Bioprint, 9(3): 693.
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.693
Keywords: Meniscus; Heterogeneity; Tissue engineering; 3D printing
Received: August 25, 2022
Accepted: November 12, 2022
Published Online: February 27, 2023 1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article The meniscus, an indispensable structure located in the knee joint, assumes
distributed under the terms of the the biofunctions of load transmission, shock absorption, joint lubrication, and
Creative Commons Attribution proprioception [1-3] . Biologically, the intact meniscus stabilizes and coordinates the
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, flexible knee joint by enlarging the contact area between the condyle femur and tibia
[7]
provided the original work is plateau, as well as cushioning friction between cartilage [4-6] . Total meniscectomy ,
properly cited. reported in 1948, is generally recognized as the only feasible strategy to treat meniscal
[8]
Publisher’s Note: Whioce tears, which is one of the most common sports injuries . Partial meniscectomy was
Publishing remains neutral with then recommended as a substitute for total meniscectomy for severe meniscal injury
[9]
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional in 1982. Nonetheless, research has demonstrated that the femur and tibia would
[10]
affiliations. directly contact a smaller area with higher stress after meniscectomy , leading to
Volume 9 Issue 3 (2023) 359 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.693