The maintenance of a critical threshold concentration of transforming growth factor beta
(TGF-β) for a given period of time is crucial for the onset and maintenance of …

Background: TGF-β has been proposed to stimulate chondrogenesis through intracellular
pathways involving small mothers against decapentaplegic proteins (Smads). Objective: To …

Background: The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat osteochondral defects
caused by sports injuries or disease is of particular interest. However, there is a lack of …

Corneal tissue engineering has attracted the attention of many researchers over the years,
in part due to the cornea's avascularity and relatively straightforward structure. However, the …

Diseases in articular cartilages affect millions of people. Despite the relatively simple
biochemical and cellular composition of articular cartilages, the self‐repair ability of cartilage …

Fibrocytes are bone marrow-derived cells. Fibrocytes can differentiate into adipocyte-and
myofibroblast-like cells. Since fibrocytes can behave like mesenchymal progenitor cells, we …

Purpose: Fibrosis or scarring is a pathological outcome of wound healing and is
characterized by terminally differentiated myofibroblasts. Heavy chain-hyaluronic …

Three homologues of TGF-β exist in mammals as follows: TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3. All
three proteins share high homology in their amino acid sequence, yet each TGF-β isoform …

Degenerative joint diseases caused by rheumatism, joint dysplasia or traumata are
particularly widespread in countries with high life expectation. Although there is no …

Background: Cartilage has limited ability for self-repairing, prompting the search for cartilage
substitutes that can repair cartilage defects. Hydrogels have attracted attention as cartilage …