Applications of type I and II collagen in osteochondral tissue engineering: Respective features and future perspectives

At present, osteoarthritis stands as one of the most prevalent degenerative musculoskeletal diseases globally. The inherent lack of self-healing capacity in articular cartilage presents a considerable obstacle in treating osteoarthritis. Tissue engineering emerged as a promising strategy for the regeneration of osteochondral defects. Collagen, a primary component of bone and cartilage, stands out as a widely utilized natural material in osteochondral tissue engineering. Among various collagen types, Type I and type II collagen are notably prominent in this field. This review initially summarizes the advantageous and disadvantageous properties of type I/II collagen in osteochondral tissue engineering, proceeds to introduce their applications in this context, and concludes with a prospective outlook on the future development of type I/II collagen's applications.