Background Intervertebral disc degeneration, a main cause of back pain, is an endemic problem and a big economic burden for the health care system. Current treatments are symptom relieving but do not address underlying problems-biological and structural deterioration of the disc. Tissue engineering is an emerging approach for the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration since it restores the functionality of native tissues. Although numerous studies have focused on the nucleus pulposus tissue engineering and achieved successes in laboratory settings, disc tissue engineering without annulus fibrosus for the end stage of disc degeneration is deemed to fail. The purpose of this article is to review the advancement of annulus fibrosus tissue engineering. Material and Methods Relevant articles regarding annulus fibrosus tissue engineering were identified in PubMed and Medline databases. Results The ideal strategy for disc regeneration is to restore the function and integrity of the disc by using biomaterials, native matrices, growth factors, and cells that producing matrices. In the past decades there are tremendous advancement in annulus fibrosus tissue engineering including cell biology, biomaterials, and whole disc replacement. The recent promising results on whole disc tissue engineering-a composite of annulus fibrosus and nucleus pulposus-make the tissue engineering approach more appealing.Conclusion Despite the promising results in disc tissue engineering, there is still much work to be done regarding the clinical application.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.