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Low intensity ultrasound as a supporter of cartilage regeneration and its engineering

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Abstract

Ultrasound (US) is being used widely in clinic for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, but clinical utilization of low intensity ultrasound (LIUS) has been very limited. However, therapeutic potential of LIUS has been reported in animal models of musculoskeletal system disorders, and its application is being expanded in various fields. This review will focus on the application of LIUS on the cartilage tissue engineering and repair of cartilage disorder such as osteoarthritis (OA). We will introduce our experimental results showing the LIUS effects on the chondrocyte viability, proliferation and matrix protein synthesisin vitro, and its application in the cartilage tissue engineering using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)in vivo. Also the current status on the issues will be discussed by comparing our results with those of other laboratories. In conclusion, we suggest that LIUS is an efficient and clinically applicable method for cartilage tissue engineering and cartilage repair.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, School of Medicine, Ajou University, 442-721, Suwon, Korea

    Byoung-Hyun Min

  2. Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, 442-721, Suwon, Korea

    Byoung-Hyun Min

  3. Research Institute for Medical Science, Inha University College of Medicine, 400-712, Incheon, Korea

    Byung Hyune Choi

  4. Department of Physiology, Inha University College of Medicine, 400-712, Incheon, Korea

    So Ra Park

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Min, BH., Choi, B.H. & Park, S.R. Low intensity ultrasound as a supporter of cartilage regeneration and its engineering. Biotechnol. Bioprocess Eng. 12, 22–31 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02931799

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