Improved Chondrogenic Capacity of Collagen Hydrogel-Expanded Chondrocytes: In Vitro and in Vivo Analyses.

Background: The use of autologous chondrocytes in cartilage repair is limited because of loss of the cartilage phenotype during expansion. The mechanosensing capacity of chondrocytes suggests evaluating the use of soft substrates for in vitro expansion. Our aim was to test the expansion of chondrocytes on collagen hydrogels to improve their capacity for chondrogenesis after a number of passages.