Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42436806›Full record

ReviewMaterials today. Bio2026

Smart functionalized cartilage repair microspheres: Concepts and applications.

Fan Bai, Tao Yuan, Zhen Geng, Yuye Liao, Yuliang Dai, Hong Ma, Zhiming Tu, Yawei Li, Xiaocheng Wang, Jiacan Su and 1 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Materials today. Bio, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Fan BaiDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Tao YuanDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Zhen GengInstitute of Translational Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China.
Yuye LiaoDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Yuliang DaiDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Hong MaDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Zhiming TuDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Yawei LiDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.
Xiaocheng WangDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, 230022, China.
Jiacan SuDepartment of Orthopedics, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
Bing WangDepartment of Spine Surgery, The Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, 410011, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cartilage has a limited intrinsic capacity for self-repair, causing injuries to progress into degenerative disorders. Current conservative and surgical treatments offer only partial benefits and are often hindered by poor tissue quality, limited durability, and procedural invasiveness. Functionalized microspheres have recently gained attention in cartilage repair due to their biocompatibility, injectability, structural versatility, and ability to achieve controlled therapeutic delivery. Evolving from passive carriers to smart, bioactive platforms, these microspheres can modulate the local regenerative microenvironment through programmable release, structural engineering, and responsive functionalities. This review summarizes the structure and degeneration of articular cartilage and the cartilaginous endplate, introduces major microsphere fabrication techniques and biomaterial choices, and highlights emerging strategies for functionalization. We further discuss structural innovations that enhance therapeutic outcomes and examine the translational potential of microspheres as precise and multifunctional smart microtissues for personalized cartilage regeneration.

Indexed as

Cartilage repairCartilaginous endplateFunctionalized microspheresRegenerative medicineTissue engineering

Identifiers

PMID42436806
PMCPMC13355507

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.