Pathology-guided design of injectable hydrogels for precision therapy and cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent degenerative joint disease whose complex pathological microenvironment and limited cartilage self-repair capacity have resulted in the absence of therapeutic approaches capable of simultaneously achieving structural reconstruction and functional recovery. Current clinical strategies face significant limitations, as conventional pharmacological treatments can only alleviate symptoms with accompanying systemic side effects, while surgical interventions often encounter challenges such as inadequate mechanical properties of repaired tissues and long-term degeneration. The precise functionalization of injectable hydrogels represents a key strategy for cartilage regeneration and the core challenge lies in integrating multiple material properties to design on-demand delivery platforms that can dynamically respond to complex pathological microenvironments in vivo . This review systematically elaborates on precision customization strategies for injectable hydrogels based on OA pathological mechanisms, focusing on how hydrogel design responds to pathological signals in the joint microenvironment to achieve on-demand and precise regulation of therapeutic agents including drugs, cells and genes. Beginning with cartilage structure and injury mechanisms, this article analyzes the limitations of existing pharmacological and surgical repair methods, th

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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