[Use of human progenitor cells in the treatment of cartilage damage].

Articular cartilage defects have virtually no self-healing capacity. As a consequence, a surgical approach for symptomatic grade III/IV defects is required. The application of bone marrow-stimulating techniques (Pridie drilling, microfracture) is only able to reproduce mechanically inferior fibrous cartilage tissue. The minimally invasive surgical technique and low cost with acceptable results in the medium term are the main reasons for the application of these techniques. The combination of microfracture and biomaterials, i.e., the AMIC technique, has not yet proved that the disadvantages of the marrow stimulation techniques can be overcome. At present, only laboratory cultivated autologous chondrocytes are able to restore a biomechanically superior cartilage layer. By selecting the appropriate cell fraction in conjunction with the controlled release of differentiating growth factors, sufficient cartilage regeneration also appears to be achievable on the basis of bone marrow aspirate. This is the subject of experimental studies of bone marrow aspirates and autologous growth factors with encouraging initial results.