Autologous chondrocyte implantation is a cell-based therapy for treating chondral defects. The procedure begins by inserting chondrocytes into the defect region. The chondrocytes initiate healing by proliferating and depositing extracellular matrix, which allows them to migrate into the defect until it is completely filled with new cartilage. Mesenchymal stem cells can be used instead of chondrocytes with similar long-term results. The main differences are at early times since mesenchymal stem cells must first differentiate into chondrocytes before cartilage is formed. To better understand this repair process, we present a mathematical model of cartilage regeneration after cell therapy. We extend our previous work to include the cell-cell interaction between mesenchymal stem cells and chondrocytes via growth factors. Our results show that matrix formation is enhanced at early times in the presence of growth factors. This study reinforces the importance of mesenchymal stem cell and chondrocyte interaction in the cartilage healing process as hypothesised in experimental studies.

中文翻译：

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软骨细胞和干细胞植入后软骨再生的数学模型 - I：生长因子的影响。

自体软骨细胞植入是一种治疗软骨缺陷的细胞疗法。该过程首先将软骨细胞插入缺损区域。软骨细胞通过增殖和沉积细胞外基质来启动愈合，这使得它们能够迁移到缺损处，直到缺损完全被新软骨填充。可以使用间充质干细胞代替软骨细胞，具有类似的长期结果。主要区别在于早期，因为间充质干细胞必须在软骨形成之前首先分化为软骨细胞。为了更好地理解这种修复过程，我们提出了细胞治疗后软骨再生的数学模型。我们扩展了之前的工作，包括间充质干细胞和软骨细胞之间通过生长因子的细胞间相互作用。我们的结果表明，在生长因子存在的情况下，早期基质形成得到增强。这项研究强调了实验研究中假设的间充质干细胞和软骨细胞相互作用在软骨愈合过程中的重要性。