Figure 1.

Enhanced treatment of cartilage injuries using IHI nanoscaffold-templated 3D stem-cell assembly. (a1) A schematic illustration of the 3D TGFβ–BMSC–IHI nanoscaffold. (a2) The 3D-IHI nanoscaffold enabled both cell–cell interaction and cell–matrix interaction, which favored the chondrogenic differentiation of BMSC. (a3) The hollow structure of MnO₂ NTs were beneficial to load chondrogenic drugs/growth factors. (b) Schematic illustration of gelatin-coated and TGF-β3-loaded MnO₂ NTs. (c) The FESEM image indicated that most of the BMSCs form contacts with other cells and the 1D fibril-like structures, which is similar to the structures of natural tissues. The enhanced chondrogenesis of BMSC was confirmed by the immunostaining of chondrogenic protein (Aggrecan). (d) By remodeling the oxidative microenvironment, enhancing the cell viability and chondrogenesis of transplanted cells, cartilage regeneration could be finally achieved.