Animal Models in Cartilage Repair and Regeneration

Animal models are indispensable for the preclinical evaluation of novel therapies aimed at restoring damaged articular cartilage. Small mammals such as rodents and rabbits provide rapid screening of biomaterials and cell-based approaches, enabling elucidation of basic biological responses and optimisation of scaffold design. Large animals—including pigs, sheep and horses—offer joint anatomy, cartilage thickness and load-bearing conditions more akin to the human knee, thereby bridging the gap between laboratory studies and clinical trials. Across models, the choice of species, defect type and anatomical site is guided by the specific research question, whether mechanical stability, biocompatibility, regenerative capacity or long-term integration are under investigation. Recent advances in hydrogel technologies, three-dimensional bioprinting and stem cell therapies have been tested in vivo to assess cartilage formation, subchondral bone remodelling and the host immune response. Together, these models form a complementary platform for evaluating safety, efficacy and surgical fixation strategies before human application.

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Animal Models in Cartilage Repair and Regeneration publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in animal models in cartilage repair and regeneration across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Articular cartilage: A smooth, load-bearing tissue covering joint surfaces, composed of chondrocytes embedded in an extracellular matrix of collagen and proteoglycans.

Hydrogel-based device: A water-swollen polymer network engineered to mimic cartilage biomechanics and deliver cells or growth factors within a defect site.

Melt electrowriting (MEW): A high-precision additive manufacturing technique that extrudes molten polymer fibres onto a substrate to reinforce soft hydrogels.

Chondrogenesis: The process by which progenitor cells differentiate into chondrocytes and produce cartilage matrix components.

Osteochondral defect: A lesion involving both the articular cartilage and the underlying subchondral bone, requiring coordinated repair of two tissue types.

Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC): A multipotent cell type capable of differentiating into cartilage, bone and other mesenchymal lineages, often used in regenerative therapies.

Subchondral bone: The layer of bone immediately beneath the cartilage surface, crucial for load distribution and support of the overlying cartilage.

References

1. A guide to preclinical evaluation of hydrogel-based devices for treatment of cartilage lesions. Acta Biomaterialia (2023).
2. Evaluation of surgical fixation methods for the implantation of melt electrowriting-reinforced hyaluronic acid hydrogel composites in porcine cartilage defects. International Journal of Bioprinting (2023).
3. Orthotopic equine study confirms the pivotal importance of structural reinforcement over the pre‐culture of cartilage implants. Bioengineering & Translational Medicine (2023).
4. The benefits and limitations of animal models for translational research in cartilage repair. Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics (2016).