Review: auricular chondrocytes - from benchwork to clinical applications.

Auricular chondrocytes, obtained from human auricular cartilage, can be grown easily in culture and have been used as a source for autologous cell/tissue transplant in several fields of reconstructive surgery. In addition, auricular chondrocytes/cartilage are being increasingly used for tissue engineering approaches to create artificial organs. Moreover, auricular chondrocytes have been used to improve biocompatibility of luminal surfaces of cardiovascular prostheses. This review looks at the progress in in vitro expansion of and differentiating strategies for auricular chondrocytes and compares the mechanical qualities of tissue-engineered cartilage from human auricular chondrocytes to those of native auricular cartilage. Finally, some of the most promising approaches for the in vivo application of auricular chondrocytes/cartilage will be briefly discussed.