{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,13]],"date-time":"2026-01-13T16:06:18Z","timestamp":1768320378427,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":50,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,2]],"date-time":"2019-02-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1549065600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Seventh Framework Programme","award":["309962"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["309962"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Despite advances in cartilage repair strategies, treatment of focal chondral lesions remains an important challenge to prevent osteoarthritis. Articular cartilage is organized into several layers and lack of zonal organization of current grafts is held responsible for insufficient biomechanical and biochemical quality of repair-tissue. The aim was to develop a zonal approach for cartilage regeneration to determine whether the outcome can be improved compared to a non-zonal strategy. Hydrogel-filled polycaprolactone (PCL)-constructs with a chondrocyte-seeded upper-layer deemed to induce hyaline cartilage and a mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-containing bottom-layer deemed to induce calcified cartilage were compared to chondrocyte-based non-zonal grafts in a minipig model. Grafts showed comparable hardness at implantation and did not cause visible signs of inflammation. After 6 months, X-ray microtomography (\u00b5CT)-analysis revealed significant bone-loss in both treatment groups compared to empty controls. PCL-enforcement and some hydrogel-remnants were retained in all defects, but most implants were pressed into the subchondral bone. Despite important heterogeneities, both treatments reached a significantly lower modified O\u2019Driscoll-score compared to empty controls. Thus, PCL may have induced bone-erosion during joint loading and misplacement of grafts in vivo precluding adequate permanent orientation of zones compared to surrounding native cartilage.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms20030653","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,5]],"date-time":"2019-02-05T11:31:07Z","timestamp":1549366267000},"page":"653","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":22,"title":["Treatment of Focal Cartilage Defects in Minipigs with Zonal Chondrocyte\/Mesenchymal Progenitor Cell Constructs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"20","author":[{"given":"Friederike","family":"Bothe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Experimental Orthopaedics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Anne-Kathrin","family":"Deubel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Experimental Orthopaedics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Eliane","family":"Hesse","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Experimental Orthopaedics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7883-8696","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Benedict","family":"Lotz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery\/Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3167-8466","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"J\u00fcrgen","family":"Groll","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Functional Materials in Medicine and Dentistry and Bavarian Polymer Institute, University of W\u00fcrzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97080 W\u00fcrzburg,  Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carsten","family":"Werner","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Max Bergmann Center of Biomaterials Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4694-2768","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Wiltrud","family":"Richter","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Experimental Orthopaedics, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sebastien","family":"Hagmann","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery\/Spinal Cord Injury Center, Heidelberg University Hospital, Germany, Schlierbacher Landstr. 200a, 69118 Heidelberg, Germany"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,2,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1323","DOI":"10.1136\/annrheumdis-2013-204763","article-title":"The global burden of hip and knee osteoarthritis: Estimates from the global burden of disease 2010 study","volume":"73","author":"Cross","year":"2014","journal-title":"Ann. 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