Biomimetic cartilage-lubricating polymers regenerate cartilage in rats with early osteoarthritis

作者：Xie, Renjian; Yao, Hang; Mao, Angelina S.; Zhu, Ye; Qi, Dawei; Jia, Yongguang; Gao, Meng; Chen, Yunhua; Wang, Lin; Wang, Dong-An; Wang, Kun; Liu, Sa^*; Ren, Li^*; Mao, Chuanbin^*

来源：Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2021, 5(10): 1189-1201.

DOI：10.1038/s41551-021-00785-y

• HYALURONIC-ACID HYDROGELS
• ARTICULAR-CARTILAGE
• BOUNDARY LUBRICANTS
• SYNOVIAL-FLUID
• BINDING
• TISSUE
• SURFACES
• PROTEIN
• PROTEOGLYCANS
• DEGRADATION

Brush-like biopolymers mimicking the lubrication properties of natural cartilage-binding complexes in articular joints enhance cartilage regeneration in a rat model of early osteoarthritis. @@@ The early stages of progressive degeneration of cartilage in articular joints are a hallmark of osteoarthritis. Healthy cartilage is lubricated by brush-like cartilage-binding nanofibres with a hyaluronan backbone and two key side chains (lubricin and lipid). Here, we show that hyaluronan backbones grafted with lubricin-like sulfonate-rich polymers or with lipid-like phosphocholine-rich polymers together enhance cartilage regeneration in a rat model of early osteoarthritis. These biomimetic brush-like nanofibres show a high affinity for cartilage proteins, form a lubrication layer on the cartilage surface and efficiently lubricate damaged human cartilage, lowering its friction coefficient to the low levels typical of native cartilage. Intra-articular injection of the two types of nanofibre into rats with surgically induced osteoarthritic joints led to cartilage regeneration and to the abrogation of osteoarthritis within 8 weeks. Biocompatible injectable lubricants that facilitate cartilage regeneration may offer a translational strategy for the treatment of early osteoarthritis.

• 单位
  中山大学; 浙江大学