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Articular cartilage has a very limited self‐repairing capacity; thus, chondral lesions normally result in chronic degeneration and, eventually, osteoarthritis development. Currently, tissue engineering offers a new tool for the clinical treatment of osteochondral defects. The present investigation aimed to develop an in vitro engineered cartilage using a new class of semisynthetic scaffolds. Two nonwoven meshes of hyaluronan esters (Hyaff® derivatives) were seeded with sternal chick embryo chondrocytes cultured for up to 21 days, after which time they were assessed for both the cellular growth profile and histological features. Avian chondrocytes easily adhered and proliferated onto hyaluronan‐based scaffolds, demonstrating a significant preference for the fully esterified benzylic form. Histochemical staining revealed the presence of a neosynthesized glycosaminoglycan‐rich extracellular matrix, and …