Figure 2.

Overview of the main cell types used for anterior cruciate ligament tissue engineering approaches. Two different types of cells are mainly regarded as the primary choice for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) regeneration: mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and ACL fibroblasts. Since MSCs can be isolated from adipose tissue (in our studies in cooperation with the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service of Upper Austria, Linz, Austria) or bone aspirates, their harvest is less delicate than cells isolated from ligamentous tissue. Further advantages of MSCs over ACL fibroblasts are their superior growth capacity and capability of differentiating into the appropriate cell types. Nevertheless, due to their origin, ACL fibroblasts would be the accurate cell type to build up neoligamentous tissue. ASCs: Adipose derived stem cells.