Small-molecule based musculoskeletal regenerative engineering

• Regenerative engineering has been recently proposed to regenerate complex tissue.
• Therapeutic proteins have many limitations for their use in regenerating tissues.
• Small-molecule-based therapeutics is emerging as an alternative strategy.
• Small molecules may represent the next generation in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine.

Clinicians and scientists working in the field of regenerative engineering are actively investigating a wide range of methods to promote musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. Small-molecule-mediated tissue regeneration is emerging as a promising strategy for regenerating various musculoskeletal tissues and a large number of small-molecule compounds have been recently discovered as potential bioactive molecules for musculoskeletal tissue repair and regeneration. In this review, we summarize the recent literature encompassing the past 4 years in the area of small bioactive molecules for promoting repair and regeneration of various musculoskeletal tissues including bone, muscle, cartilage, tendon, and nerve.