mRNA expression of AGC (A), Col II (B), Col X (C), ALP (D), SZP (E), and Sox-9 (F) for the hMSCs encapsulated in Superficial (L1, blue), Middle (L2, red), and Calcified (L3, green) gels with incubation time in chondrogenic medium supplemented with zone-specific growth factors. A star indicates a statically significant difference between the test and all other groups at each time point. Error bars correspond to means±1 SD for n=3.