An ice-inspired lubricant improves osteoarthritis signs in rats

With the Winter Olympics approaching, many individuals will quickly be tuning in to look at occasions that happen on ice, equivalent to determine skating, velocity skating and ice hockey. An ultrathin, super-lubricating layer of water on the ice’s floor is important for skaters’ sleek glides. Impressed by this floor, researchers reporting in ACS Nano have developed a remedy for osteoarthritis that enhances lubrication and reduces friction and irritation in a rat mannequin of the illness.

Osteoarthritis, a persistent illness widespread in middle-aged and older individuals, is characterised by persistent irritation and degeneration of cartilage within the joints. Anti-inflammatory medication might help relieve ache and irritation, however long-term use can cut back their effectiveness or trigger gastrointestinal issues. Corticosteroids injected straight into the joint present short-term reduction, however frequent remedies can generally injury the cartilage. Yuanjin Zhao and colleagues wished to develop drug supply particles that, when injected right into a joint, might safely improve lubrication and reduce irritation.

The researchers based mostly their particles on hyaluronic acid (HA), a pure polysaccharide already used as a lubricant to deal with osteoarthritis, however this molecule degrades quickly contained in the physique. So the researchers used a microfluidic gadget to make tiny methacrylate anhydride-HA gel particles, which they reasoned is likely to be stronger and persist longer within the physique than an HA answer. To boost the lubrication of the particles, the workforce coated them with 2-methylacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC), which has positively and negatively charged chemical teams that appeal to a skinny layer of water, much like ice. As well as, the particles’ pores had been loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug, which could possibly be slowly and repeatedly launched. The researchers then injected drug-loaded HA-MPC particles into the knee joints of rats with early-stage osteoarthritis. The joints of handled rats had been extra lubricated and had much less cartilage destruction, joint friction and irritation in contrast with a management group. The handled rats additionally expressed greater ranges of collagen II and aggrecan, two markers of wholesome cartilage. The particles have nice potential for medical purposes, however first they need to bear further animal and biosafety assessments, the researchers say.