FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 10000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society2022; 41(1); 63-71; doi: 10.1002/jor.25340

Polyacrylamide hydrogel lubricates cartilage after biochemical degradation and mechanical injury.

Abstract: Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid have been a mainstay of osteoarthritis treatment for decades. However, controversy surrounds the mechanism of action and efficacy of this therapy. As such, there has been recent interest in developing synthetic lubricants that lubricate cartilage. Recently, a synthetic 4 wt% polyacrylamide (pAAm) hydrogel was shown to effectively decrease lameness in horses. However, its mechanism of action and ability to lubricate cartilage is unknown. The goal of this study was to characterize the lubricating ability of this hydrogel and determine its efficacy for healthy and degraded cartilage. The study utilized previously established IL-1β-induced biochemical degradation and mechanical impact injury models to degrade cartilage. The lubricating ability of the hydrogel was then characterized using a custom-built tribometer using a glass counterface and friction was evaluated using the Stribeck framework for articular cartilage. pAAm hydrogel was shown to significantly lower the friction coefficient of cartilage explants from both degradation models (30%-40% reduction in friction relative to controls). A striking finding from this study was the aggregation of the pAAm hydrogel at the articulating surface. The surface aggregation was observed in the histological sections of explants from all treatment groups after tribological evaluation. Using the Stribeck framework, the hydrogel was mapped to higher Sommerfeld numbers and was characterized as a viscous lubricant predominantly in the minimum friction mode. In summary, this study revealed that pAAm hydrogel lubricates native and degraded cartilage explants effectively and may have an affinity for the articulating surface of the cartilage.
© 2022 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2022-04-20 PubMed ID: 35384042DOI: 10.1002/jor.25340Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • N.I.H.
  • Extramural
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research explored how polyacrylamide (pAAm) hydrogel, a synthetic material, can serve as a lubricant for both healthy and damaged cartilage. The study found this hydrogel effectively reduced the friction of cartilage explants subjected to different types of degradation by 30-40%, suggesting potential benefits for osteoarthritis treatment.

Objective and Methodology

  • The main aim of the research was to evaluate the effectiveness of pAAm hydrogel in lubricating cartilage, particularly those that have undergone degradation.
  • Two types of cartilage degradation models were used – one induced by Interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), which caused biochemical degradation, and the other through mechanical impact injury.
  • The study used a custom-built tribometer to test the lubricating capability of the hydrogel. A tribometer is a device used to measure the friction between two surfaces.

Key Findings

  • pAAm hydrogel succeeded in significantly reducing the friction coefficient of cartilage explants from both degradation models by around 30-40% compared to the controls.
  • Apart from its friction-reducing capability, the hydrogel showed a tendency to aggregate at the articulating surface of the cartilage. This was observed across all the treatment groups.
  • Utilizing the Stribeck framework, which is a model to understand lubrication dynamics, the research depicted the hydrogel as a viscous lubricant, primarily effective in conditions where minimum friction is desired.

Implications

  • The research indicates that pAAm hydrogel could be a viable synthetic lubricant for both healthy and degraded cartilage. Its ability to adhere to the articulating surface of the cartilage might be beneficial in effectively reducing friction.
  • Given the ongoing debates on the effectiveness and action mechanism of traditional osteoarthritis treatments like intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid, the findings from this research suggest that synthetic lubricants like pAAm hydrogel could open up new avenues for osteoarthritis treatment.
  • However, the exact effect and mechanism of pAAm hydrogel on various types of cartilage need further exploration.

Cite This Article

APA
Vishwanath K, McClure SR, Bonassar LJ. (2022). Polyacrylamide hydrogel lubricates cartilage after biochemical degradation and mechanical injury. J Orthop Res, 41(1), 63-71. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.25340

Publication

Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society
ISSN: 1554-527X
NlmUniqueID: 8404726
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 41
Issue: 1
Pages: 63-71

Researcher Affiliations

Vishwanath, Karan
  • Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
McClure, Scott R
  • Midwest Equine Surgery and Sports Medicine, Boone, Iowa, USA.
Bonassar, Lawrence J
  • Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.
  • Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cartilage / injuries
  • Horses
  • Hydrogels

Grant Funding

  • NIH S10OD018516 / NIH HHS

References

This article includes 35 references
  1. Balazs EA, Denlinger JL. Viscosupplementation: a new concept in the treatment of osteoarthritis.. J Rheumatol 1993;20(suppl 39):3-9.
  2. Bellamy N, Campbell J, Welch V, Gee TL, Bourne R, Wells GA. Viscosupplementation for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2006;2:CD005321.
  3. Trojian TH, Concoff AL, Joy SM, Hatzenbuehler JR, Saulsberry WJ, Coleman CI. AMSSM scientific statement concerning viscosupplementation injections for knee osteoarthritis: importance for individual patient outcomes.. Clin J Sport Med 2016;26(1):1-11.
  4. Strauss EJ, Hart JA, Miller MD, Altman RD, Rosen JE. Hyaluronic acid viscosupplementation and osteoarthritis: current uses and future directions.. Am J Sports Med 2009;37(8):1636-1644.
  5. Jevsevar DS. Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee: evidence-based guideline, 2nd edition.. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2013;21(9):571-576.
  6. Gupta RC, Lall R, Srivastava A, Sinha A. Hyaluronic acid: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic trajectory.. Front Vet Sci 2019;6:192.
  7. Wathier M, Lakin BA, Cooper BG. A synthetic polymeric biolubricant imparts chondroprotection in a rat meniscal tear model.. Biomaterials 2018;182(August):13-20.
  8. Singh A, Corvelli M, Unterman SA, Wepasnick KA, McDonnell P, Elisseeff JH. Enhanced lubrication on tissue and biomaterial surfaces through peptide-mediated binding of hyaluronic acid.. Nat Mater 2014;13(10):988-995.
  9. Faust HJ, Sommerfeld SD, Rathod S. A hyaluronic acid binding peptide-polymer system for treating osteoarthritis.. Biomaterials 2018;183(August):93-101.
  10. Baker BA, Murff RL, Milam VT. Tailoring the mechanical properties of polyacrylamide-based hydrogels.. Polymer 2010;51(10):2207-2214.
  11. Bonyadi SZ, Atten M, Dunn AC. Self-regenerating compliance and lubrication of polyacrylamide hydrogels.. Soft Matter 2019;15(43):8728-8740.
  12. Kandow CE, Georges PC, Janmey PA, Beningo KA. Polyacrylamide hydrogels for cell mechanics: steps toward optimization and alternative uses.. Methods Cell Biol 2007;83(07):29-46.
  13. Dunn AC, Sawyer WG, Angelini TE. Gemini interfaces in aqueous lubrication with hydrogels.. Tribol Lett 2014;54(1):59-66.
  14. Milner PE, Parkes M, Puetzer JL, Chapman R, Stevens MM, Cann P, Jeffers JR. A low friction, biphasic and boundary lubricating hydrogel for cartilage replacement.. Acta Biomaterialia 2018;65:102-111.
  15. Yashima S, Takase N, Kurokawa T, Gong JP. Friction of hydrogels with controlled surface roughness on solid flat substrates.. Soft Matter 2014;10(18):3192-3199.
  16. Reale ER, Dunn AC. Poroelasticity-driven lubrication in hydrogel interfaces.. Soft Matter 2017;13(2):428-435.
  17. Shoaib T, Espinosa-Marzal RM. Advances in understanding hydrogel lubrication.. Colloids Interfaces 2020;4(4):54.
  18. McClure SR, Wang C. A preliminary field trial evaluating the efficacy of 4% polyacrylamide hydrogel in horses with osteoarthritis.. J Equine Vet Sci 2017;54:98-102.
  19. Gleghorn JP, Bonassar LJ. Lubrication mode analysis of articular cartilage using Stribeck surfaces.. J Biomech 2008;41(9):1910-1918.
  20. Gleghorn JP, Jones ARC, Flannery CR, Bonassar LJ. Boundary mode lubrication of articular cartilage by recombinant human lubricin.. J Orthop Res 2009;27(6):771-777.
  21. Bonnevie ED, Galesso D, Secchieri C, Bonassar LJ. Frictional characterization of injectable hyaluronic acids is more predictive of clinical outcomes than traditional rheological or viscoelastic characterization.. PLOS One 2019;14(5):e0216702.
  22. Bonnevie ED, Galesso D, Secchieri C, Bonassar LJ. Degradation alters the lubrication of articular cartilage by high viscosity, hyaluronic acid-based lubricants.. J Orthop Res 2018;36(5):1456-1464.
  23. Bonnevie ED, Delco ML, Galesso D, Secchieri C, Fortier LA, Bonassar LJ. Sub-critical impact inhibits the lubricating mechanisms of articular cartilage.. J Biomech 2017;53:64-70.
  24. Larson KM, Zhang L, Elsaid KA. Reduction of friction by recombinant human proteoglycan 4 in IL-1α stimulated bovine cartilage explants.. J Orthop Res 2017;35(3):580-589.
  25. DuRaine G, Neu CP, Chan SMT, Komvopoulos K, June RK, Reddi AH. Regulation of the friction coefficient of articular cartilage by TGF-β1 and IL-1β.. J Orthop Res 2009;27(2):249-256.
  26. Ayala S, Delco ML, Fortier LA, Cohen I, Bonassar LJ. Cartilage articulation exacerbates chondrocyte damage and death after impact injury.. J Orthop Res 2021;39(10):2130-2140.
  27. Hersey MD. The laws of lubrication of horizontal journal bearings.. J Wash Acad Sci 1914;4(19):542-552.
  28. Bonnevie ED, Galesso D, Secchieri C, Cohen I, Bonassar LJ. Elastoviscous transitions of articular cartilage reveal a mechanism of synergy between lubricin and hyaluronic acid.. PLOS One 2015;10(11):e0143415.
  29. Gleghorn JP, Jones ARC, Flannery CR, Bonassar LJ. Alteration of articular cartilage frictional properties by transforming growth factor β, interleukin-1β, and oncostatin M.. Arthritis Rheum 2009;60(2):440-449.
  30. Lesperance LM, Gray ML, Burstein D. Determination of fixed charge density in cartilage using nuclear magnetic resonance.. J Orthop Res 1992;10(1):1-13.
  31. Palmer AW, Guldberg RE, Levenston ME. Analysis of cartilage matrix fixed charge density and three-dimensional morphology via contrast-enhanced microcomputed tomography.. Proc Natl Acad Sci 2006;103(51):19255-19260.
  32. McClure SR, Yaeger M, Wang C. Clinical and histologic evaluation of polyacrylamide gel in normal equine metacarpal/metatarsal-phalangeal joints.. J Equine Vet Sci 2017;54:70-77.
  33. Christensen L, Camitz L, Illigen KE, Hansen M, Sarvaa R, Conaghan PG. Synovial incorporation of polyacrylamide hydrogel after injection into normal and osteoarthritic animal joints.. Osteoarthr Cartil 2016;24(11):1999-2002.
  34. Kar S, Smith DW, Gardiner BS, Li Y, Wang Y, Grodzinsky AJ. Modeling IL-1 induced degradation of articular cartilage.. Arch Biochem Biophys 2016;594:37-53.
  35. Schmidt TA, Sah RL. Effect of synovial fluid on boundary lubrication of articular cartilage.. Osteoarthr Cartil 2007;15(1):35-47.

Citations

This article has been cited 8 times.
  1. Aykaç B, Dinç M, Nar ÖO, Karasu R, Bayrak HÇ. Comparative efficacy of polyacrylamide hydrogel versus hyaluronic acid and corticosteroids in knee osteoarthritis: A retrospective cohort study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2025 Sep 19;104(38):e44655.
    doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000044655pubmed: 40988206google scholar: lookup
  2. Yu L, She K, He R, Xu Q. Application and progress of temperature-sensitive hydrogels in cartilage injury repair. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2025;13:1602303.
    doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1602303pubmed: 40843447google scholar: lookup
  3. Chen J, Deng M, Wang J, Liu Y, Hu Z, Luan F, Zhu H, Zheng C. Recent advances in injectable hydrogels for osteoarthritis treatments. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2025;13:1644222.
    doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1644222pubmed: 40843442google scholar: lookup
  4. Yoon D, Vishwanath K, Dankert J, Butler JJ, Azam MT, Gianakos AL, Colville MJ, Lopez SG, Paszek MJ, Reesink HL, Kennedy JG, Bonassar LJ, Irwin RM. Delayed lubricin injection improves cartilage repair tissue quality in an in vivo rabbit osteochondral defect model. bioRxiv 2025 Feb 8;.
    doi: 10.1101/2025.02.06.636825pubmed: 39974965google scholar: lookup
  5. Luedke LK, Seabaugh KA, Cooper BG, Snyder BD, Wimmer MA, McIlwraith CW, Barrett MF, Kawcak CE, Grinstaff MW, Goodrich LR. A Safety and Efficacy Study of a Synthetic Biolubricant in an Equine Model of Post-Traumatic Osteoarthritis. Animals (Basel) 2025 Feb 1;15(3).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15030404pubmed: 39943174google scholar: lookup
  6. Zheng Y, Ke Z, Hu G, Tong S. Hydrogel promotes bone regeneration through various mechanisms: a review. Biomed Tech (Berl) 2025 Apr 28;70(2):103-114.
    doi: 10.1515/bmt-2024-0391pubmed: 39571066google scholar: lookup
  7. Vishwanath K, Secor EJ, Watkins A, Reesink HL, Bonassar LJ. Loss of effective lubricating viscosity is the primary mechanical marker of joint inflammation in equine synovitis. J Orthop Res 2024 Jul;42(7):1438-1447.
    doi: 10.1002/jor.25793pubmed: 38291343google scholar: lookup
  8. Zhao Y, Liu Y, Dai Y, Yang L, Chen G. Application of 3D Bioprinting in Urology. Micromachines (Basel) 2022 Jul 7;13(7).
    doi: 10.3390/mi13071073pubmed: 35888890google scholar: lookup
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,780 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.