中药多因素、多靶点的作用特点彰显了其在软骨组织工程研究中的独特优势。基于三维空间微环境的积极意义，本项目将超声控释技术引入中医药干预组织工程软骨的构建，拟在超声辐照下以多孔蚕丝蛋白微球作为威灵仙药物缓释载体，并负载种子细胞建立微球复合体，摸索一种持续、无创修复软骨缺损的新方法。首先构建威灵仙-多孔蚕丝蛋白-软骨细胞微球复合体，经过体外悬浮培养扩增软骨细胞数量，然后观察威灵仙及超声辐照作用下软骨细胞空间分布、表型维持、基质表达情况。探讨其植入模型动物软骨缺损区域后通过超声控释技术帮助威灵仙有效成分的释放并缓冲载体降解速率的积极效应。最后通过软骨中 TGF-β/Smad信号通路，尤其是TGF-β1、MMP-13、IL-1β、TIMP-1等功能分子表达水平，评价其修复效果。本项目有机融合中医药与生物物理学和生物材料学技术，延伸威灵仙及其有效成分的应用和方法，开拓医学组织工程技术的新思路。

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has highlighted its unique advantage in cartilage tissue engineering research as a result of its multi-factors and multi-targets characteristics. Considering of the advantages of three-dimensional space microenvironment, the present project aims at a new continuous and noninvasive method for cartilage defect by introducing the ultrasound controlled release technology into the intervention of TCM on the construction of cartilage tissue engineering and developing a porous silk fibroin microspheres under ultrasound irradiation as the drug delivery carrier of Weilingxian and seed cells. After Weilingxian and chondrocytes embedded in porous silk fibroin microspheres, chondrocytes will get amplification by suspension culture in vitro, and then the cells spatial distribution, phenotype maintainance and matrix expression will be observed under Weilingxian and ultrasonic irradiation. We will discuss the positive effects after implanted into the cartilage defect region in animal models of by ultrasound controlled release technology to help the release of Weilingxian effective components and slow down the rate of carrier degradation, after which the positive effect will be evaluated by the expression level of functional molecules (TGF-β1, MMP-13, IL-1β, and TIMP–1) in TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway.The combination of Chinese Medicine, biomedical ultrasound and biomaterials can open more possibilities for the utilization of Weilingxian and its effective components, which can also lead to new ideas of medical tissue engineering technology.