Articular cartilage is an exceptional connective tissue which by a network of fibrillar collagen and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) molecules allows both low- friction articulation and distribution of loads to the subchondral bone (Armiento et al., 2018, Ulrich-Vinther et al., 2003). Because of its very limited ability to self-repair, chondral defects following traumatic injury increase the risk for secondary osteoarthritis (OA) (Muthuri et al., 2011). Still, current OA treatments such as common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and joint replacement primarily address end-stage symptoms (Tonge et al., 2014). As low-grade inflammation plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of OA (Robinson et al., 2016), there is a strong demand for novel therapeutic concepts, such as integrating application of anti-inflammatory agents into cartilage cell- based therapies in order to effectively treat OA affected joints in early disease stages. The polyphenolic phytoalexin resveratrol (RSV), found in the skin of red grapes, berries, and peanuts, has been shown to have effective anti-inflammatory properties (Shen et al., 2012). However, its long-term effects on 3D chondrocyte constructs cultured in an inflammatory environment with regard to tissue quality have remained unexplored so far. Therefore, in this study, pellets made from expanded porcine articular chondrocytes were cultured for 14 days with either the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (1 - 10 ng/ml) or RSV (50 μM) alone, or a co-treatment with both agents. Constructs treated with chondrocyte medium only served as control. Treatment with IL-1β at 10 ng/ml resulted in a significantly smaller pellet size and reduced DNA content. However, RSV counteracted the IL-1β-induced decrease and significantly enhanced diameter and DNA content. Also, in terms of GAG deposition, treatment with IL-1β at 10 ng/ml resulted in a tremendous depletion of absolute GAG content and GAG/DNA. Again, RSV co-treatment counteracted the inflammatory stimulus and led to a partial recovery of GAG content. Histological analysis utilizing safranin-O staining confirmed these findings. Marked expression of the cartilage-degrading enzyme matrix metalloproteinase 13 (MMP13) was detected in IL-1β-treated pellets, but none upon RSV co- treatment. Moreover, co-treatment of IL-1β-challenged constructs with RSV significantly increased absolute collagen content. However, under non- inflammatory conditions, RSV induced gene expression and protein accumulation of collagen type X, a marker for undesirable hypertrophy. Taken together, in the present thesis, RSV was demonstrated to elicit marked beneficial effects on the extracellular matrix composition of 3D cartilaginous constructs in long-term inflammatory culture in vitro, but also induced hypertrophy under non-inflammatory conditions. Based on these findings, further experiments examining multiple concentrations of RSV under various inflammatory conditions appear desirable concerning potential therapeutic applicability in OA.