Development of hybrid hydrogel to facilitate knee joint movement with an engineering approach

Abstract

Hyaline cartilage can be defined as a “biological bearing material” with an engineering approach. Movement causes friction between joints while lubricants provide separation between the two surfaces, reducing or preventing frictional wear. This study describes an injectable hybrid hydrogel consisting of a hyaluronic acid matrix filled with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) particles that can mimic the rheological properties of joint fluid. hBN is a good lubricant and a strong candidate for biomedical applications with its unique tribological properties. The hypothesis established is that the lubricating property of hBN may alleviate the symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) and improve the person's life quality. A new formulation and strategy for articular injections are proposed. The focus of the present work is the presentation of the rheological profile of hyaluronic acid‐boron nitride (HA‐hBN) hybrid hydrogels. Structural and physical characterizations have shown that BN‐HA hybrid hydrogels can be produced in injectable form, their compatibility with HA strongly depends on surface modification of BN, and they are promising candidates for the treatment of OA by evaluating the frequency range of walking and running.

Boron Nitride’s Morphological Role in the Design of Injectable Hyaluronic Acid Based Hybrid Artificial Synovial Fluid

“…To provide interface compatibility between hyaluronic acid and hBNPs, the hBNP surfaces were functionalized with PEI. 40 Briefly, the diluted PEI (10% v/v) was prepared and the dispersed hBNP particles (6 mg/ mL) were added to the vessel. The mixture was vigorously stirred for 2 h at room temperature by a magnetic stirrer.…”

“…According to a previous study, PEI-hBNP and PEI-BNNS concentrations were kept constant at 0.1% in the hydrogel. 40 The mixing process was carried out with a magnetic stirrer at 400 rpm for 3 h with the table temperature not exceeding 60 °C to obtain a homogeneous distribution. Any cross-linking was intentionally omitted to facilitate a direct comparison of the effects of boron nitride on the hydrogels.…”

“…From an engineering point of view, the excellent solid lubricant properties of hBN particles as a new strategy to facilitate human joint movement have been suggested. 39,40 In the previous study, a new hybrid hydrogel strategy to facilitate movement in osteoarthritic joints was suggested, and novel hydrogel formulations containing hBN particles encapsulated in hyaluronic acid were described. 40 In recent years, to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of the hydrogel, studies using hBN 41−50 exfoliated clays, 51 nanoscale materials including graphene oxides, 52,53 carbon nanotubes, 54 polymer-coated cobalt ferrite, 55 and silica 56 have been explored for the preparation of nanocomposite hydrogels.…”

“…39,40 In the previous study, a new hybrid hydrogel strategy to facilitate movement in osteoarthritic joints was suggested, and novel hydrogel formulations containing hBN particles encapsulated in hyaluronic acid were described. 40 In recent years, to improve the thermal and mechanical properties of the hydrogel, studies using hBN 41−50 exfoliated clays, 51 nanoscale materials including graphene oxides, 52,53 carbon nanotubes, 54 polymer-coated cobalt ferrite, 55 and silica 56 have been explored for the preparation of nanocomposite hydrogels. However, to the best knowledge of the author, there is no study in which the lubricating property of hBN in the hydrogel is discussed.…”

“…Hybrid hydrogels with low molecular weight sodium hyaluronate (1.42MDa) were formulated in injectable form in the previous study. 40 In this study, unlike the prior work, the hydrogels were formulated using high molecular weight hyaluronic acid and two different hBN morphologies. Biological-based studies of the hBN powders used in this study were carried out previously to determine the toxic limit.…”