Human meniscus is a fibrocartilaginous structure that is crucial for an adequate performance of the human knee joint. Degeneration of the meniscus is often followed by partial or total meniscectomy, which enhances the risk of developing knee osteoarthritis. The lack of a satisfactory treatment for this condition has triggered a major interest in drug delivery (DD) and tissue engineering (TE) strategies intended to restore a bioactive and fully functional meniscal tissue. The aim of this review is to critically discuss the most relevant studies on spatiotemporal DD and TE, aiming for a multizonal meniscal reconstruction. Indeed, the development of meniscal tissue implants should involve a provision for adequate active molecules and scaffold features that take into account the anisotropic ultrastructure of human meniscus. This zonal differentiation is reflected in the meniscus biochemical composition, collagen fiber arrangement, and cell distribution. In this sense, it is expected that a proper combination of advanced DD and zonal TE strategies will play a key role in the future trends in meniscus regeneration.

中文翻译：

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工程各向异性半月板：区域功能和时空药物输送

人类半月板是一种纤维软骨结构，对于人类膝关节的充分发挥至关重要。半月板退化后通常会发生部分或全部半月板切除术，这会增加患膝骨关节炎的风险。这种疾病缺乏令人满意的治疗方法引发了人们对旨在恢复生物活性和功能齐全的半月板组织的药物递送 (DD) 和组织工程 (TE) 策略的重大兴趣。本综述的目的是批判性地讨论关于时空 DD 和 TE 的最相关研究，旨在实现多区域半月板重建。事实上，半月板组织植入物的开发应该涉及提供足够的活性分子和支架特征，这些特征考虑到人类半月板的各向异性超微结构。这种带状分化反映在半月板生化成分、胶原纤维排列和细胞分布上。从这个意义上说，预计先进 DD 和区域 TE 策略的适当组合将在半月板再生的未来趋势中发挥关键作用。