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

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

doi:10.1038/s41551-021-00785-y

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

Nat Biomed Eng. 2021 Oct;5(10):1189-1201. doi: 10.1038/s41551-021-00785-y. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

Authors

Renjian Xie^#^{1

2

3}, Hang Yao^#^{1

2

4}, Angelina S Mao^#⁵, Ye Zhu⁶, Dawei Qi^{1

2}, Yongguang Jia^{1

2}, Meng Gao^{1

2}, Yunhua Chen^{1

2}, Lin Wang^{1

2}, Dong-An Wang⁷, Kun Wang⁸, Sa Liu^{9

10

11}, Li Ren^{12

13

14}, Chuanbin Mao^{15

16}

Affiliations

¹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
² National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
³ Guangdong Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China.
⁴ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.
⁵ Norman North High School, Norman, OK, USA.
⁶ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA.
⁷ Department of Biomedical Engineering, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
⁸ Department of Joint Surgery, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
⁹ School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. sliu@scut.edu.cn.
¹⁰ National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. sliu@scut.edu.cn.
¹¹ Guangdong Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. sliu@scut.edu.cn.
¹² School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. psliren@scut.edu.cn.
¹³ National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. psliren@scut.edu.cn.
¹⁴ Guangdong Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China. psliren@scut.edu.cn.
¹⁵ Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Stephenson Life Sciences Research Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK, USA. maophage@gmail.com.
¹⁶ School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China. maophage@gmail.com.

^# Contributed equally.

PMID: 34608279
DOI: 10.1038/s41551-021-00785-y

Abstract

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.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Biomimetics
Cartilage, Articular*
Osteoarthritis* / therapy
Polymers
Rats
Regeneration

Substances

Polymers