Gelatin/Graphene Oxide Cryogel as an Artificial Cartilage Substitute Regulates Chondrogenesis and Oxidative Phosphorylation for Osteoarthritis Treatment

Osteoarthritis, affecting millions globally each year, results in progressive joint function deterioration. The key to osteoarthritis treatment is the repair of damaged cartilage, while cartilage is poor at self-regeneration. Although autologous and allogeneic cartilage implantations are currently used to treat cartilage injuries, their clinical application is constrained by poor biocompatibility and limited donor availability. Tissue-engineered scaffolds have emerged as a promising strategy for cartilage repair, but their clinical translation is often limited by inadequate chondrogenic differentiation and inflammation control. In this study, we fabricated a biomimetic gelatin/graphene oxide (GO) composite cryogel scaffold for cartilage regeneration applications. This cryogel combines the advantages of gelatin and graphene oxide, exhibiting excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and cell adhesion capacity while inducing chondrogenesis. After being implanted in a rat cartilage defect model, this cryogel effectively promoted structural and functional cartilage repair within 4 weeks. Furthermore, we investigated the underlying regenerative mechanism and demonstrated that this cryogel promotes cartilage regeneration by inducing chondrogenesis and suppressing oxidative phosphorylation. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that this cryogel represents a promising therapeutic approach for osteoarthritis resulting from cartilage injury.