Bioprinting for Meniscal Tissue Engineering: Biological Foundations, Pathological Considerations, and Fabrication Advances

The meniscus is essential to knee joint function, contributing to load distribution, shock absorption, and cartilage protection. Its restricted vascularization, particularly in the inner zone, severely limits its capacity for self-repair after injury. Meniscal tears are highly prevalent, and existing treatment options, meniscectomy, allograft transplantation, and current commercial implants, are associated with considerable drawbacks, including osteoarthritis progression, donor scarcity, and high failure rates. To date, no complete meniscal substitute has received FDA approval. Tissue engineering offers a potential path forward by combining scaffolds, cells, and bioactive signals to reproduce the structural and mechanical characteristics of native meniscal tissue. Bioprinting, in particular, allows for precise spatial control over scaffold architecture, making it well-suited to address the zonal complexity of the meniscus. This review covers the biological and pathological aspects of meniscal damage, the main tissue engineering approaches explored for meniscal repair and replacement, and the current state of bioprinting techniques in this field, with consideration of the remaining challenges for clinical application.

کلیدواژه ها:

Tissue engineering ، meniscus ، bioprinting ، scaffolds ، biofabrication