A collagen sponge incorporating a hydroxyapatite/chondroitinsulfate composite as a scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering.

Because cartilage has limited potential for self-repair, tissue engineering is expected to replace the present therapies for damaged cartilage, such as total knee arthroplasty. However, scaffolds suitable for cartilage tissue engineering have not been established. We synthesized a novel porous scaffold, a collagen sponge incorporating a hydroxyapatite/chondroitinsulfate composite (pCol-HAp/ChS), containing materials which resemble extracellular matrices in bone and cartilage tissues.