Chen Qiuyi, Liu Sa, Yuan Zhongrun, Yang Hai, Xie Renjian, Ren Li
School of Biomedical Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510006, China.
Gels. 2022 Jul 1;8(7):415. doi: 10.3390/gels8070415.
Articular cartilage provides ultralow friction to maintain the physiological function of the knee joint, which arises from the hierarchical complex composed of hyaluronic acid, phospholipids, and lubricin, covering the cartilage surface as boundary lubrication layers. Cartilage-lubricating polymers (HA/PA and HA/PM) mimicking this complex have been demonstrated to restore the lubrication of cartilage via hydration lubrication, thus contributing to the treatment of early osteoarthritis (OA) in vivo. Here, biomimetic cartilage-lubricating hydrogels (HPX/PVA) were constructed by blending HA/PA and HA/PM (HPX) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to improve the boundary lubrication and wear properties, so that the obtained hydrogels may offer a solution to the main drawbacks of PVA hydrogels used as cartilage implants. The HPX/PVA hydrogels exhibited good physicochemical and mechanical properties through hydrogen-bonding interactions, and showed lower friction and wear under the boundary lubrication and fluid film lubrication mechanisms, which remained when the hydrogels were rehydrated. Our strategy may provide new insights into exploring cartilage-inspired lubricating hydrogels.
关节软骨提供超低摩擦以维持膝关节的生理功能，这种超低摩擦源于由透明质酸、磷脂和润滑素组成的分级复合物，它们作为边界润滑层覆盖在软骨表面。已证明模仿这种复合物的软骨润滑聚合物（HA/PA和HA/PM）可通过水合润滑恢复软骨的润滑，从而有助于体内早期骨关节炎（OA）的治疗。在此，通过将HA/PA和HA/PM（HPX）与聚乙烯醇（PVA）混合构建了仿生软骨润滑水凝胶（HPX/PVA），以改善边界润滑和磨损性能，从而使所得水凝胶可能解决用作软骨植入物的PVA水凝胶的主要缺点。HPX/PVA水凝胶通过氢键相互作用表现出良好的物理化学和机械性能，并在边界润滑和流体膜润滑机制下显示出较低的摩擦和磨损，当水凝胶再水化时这种性能依然存在。我们的策略可能为探索受软骨启发的润滑水凝胶提供新的见解。
