Article

Intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid based therapies is
gaining popularity as a treatment option for non-operative management of patients
with symptomatic osteoarthritis. Although there is an abundance of evidence for
both biological and mechanical mechanisms of joint protection by hyaluronic acid,
one clear intention of viscosupplementation is to reduce friction and wear by
providing an extrinsic lubricant. We tested the in vitro friction response of a
novel hyaluronic acid derivative that presents amphiphilic features to promote
adhesion to the cartilage surface and thereby improve cartilage lubrication.
METHODS: Migrating Contact Area and Static Contact Area friction tests were
conducted on bovine articular cartilage to assess the efficacy of two lubricants,
a chemically modified amphiphilic hyaluronic acid and synovial fluid from a
healthy joint, as well as a phosphate buffered saline negative control. FINDINGS:
No differences in lubrication (P=0.34) were evident between the three test
articles during the Migrating Contact Area test, which represents articulation of
healthy articular cartilage. The modified hyaluronic acid presented an
equilibrium friction coefficient 2.8 times less than that of the synovial fluid
(P</=0.0005) and five times less than that of the PBS control (P</=0.0001) during
the Static Contact Area test, representing a mixed lubrication condition.
INTERPRETATION: The present study demonstrated that a chemically modified
amphiphilic hyaluronic acid can provide equivalent lubrication to synovial fluid
during articulation of loaded healthy articular cartilage and can provide
superior lubrication as indicated by a lower coefficient of friction than
synovial fluid under loading conditions potentially associated with cartilage
wear.
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Langue : ANGLAIS