Table 3.

Overview of various components used in adhesive hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering. The table categorizes different components, including drugs, cells, cytokines, peptides, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), genes, and exosomes, commonly incorporated into adhesive hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering applications.

Component	Classification	Function	Examples/References
Therapeutic agents	NSAIDs	Alleviate pain and inflammation, reduce joint swelling, and inhibit osteoarthritis (OA) progression	Ibuprofen [75], Naproxen [76], Celecoxib [77], Methotrexate [78], and Hydroxychloroquine [79]
	Corticosteroids	Alleviate pain and inflammation, reduce joint swelling, and inhibit OA progression	Prednisone [80], Dexamethasone [81], and Triamcinolone [82]
Cellular sources and Components	Cells	Promote tissue regeneration, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue repair	Articular chondrocytes, Nasal chondrocytes, Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs), Adipose-derived Stem Cells (ASCs) [83], and Progenitor cells [84]
	Cytokines	Promote cartilage regeneration	Fibroblast growth factor (FGF), TGF-β [85]
	Peptides	Promote cartilage regeneration	CK2.1 [86]
	Platelet-Rich Plasma	Promote cartilage regeneration, reduce inflammation, and enhance tissue repair	Concentrated platelets [87]
Gene therapy and Exosome delivery	Transcription Factors	Enhance chondrocyte differentiation and promote tissue repair	Sox 9 [88]
	Gene Vectors	Enhance chondrocyte differentiation and promote tissue repair	Lentiviral vectors, recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) [89]
	MSC-Derived Exosomes	Modulate immune response and enhance tissue regeneration	MSC-derived exosomes [90]