Effects of HA-lipid layers on the surface of an intrasynovial tendon

Lipid-hyaluronan synergy strongly reduces intrasynovial tissue boundary friction.

Article specifications

This clinical trial was published in 2019 in Journal of Acta Biomater. (IF 2016:6.319) by Israeli specialists. Here we show that HA-lipid layers on the surface of an intrasynovial tendon can strongly reduce the friction as the tendon slides within its sheath. We find a marked lubrication synergy when combining both HA and lipids at the tendon surface, relative to each component alone, further enhanced when the polysaccharide is functionalized to attach specifically to the tissue.

 

Results

Here we show that synergy of hyaluronan and lipids, molecules which are central components of synovial joints and of the tendon/sheath system, can strongly reduce friction between sliding biological tissues (the extrasynovial tendon sliding in its sheath), relative to untreated tissue or to either component on its own. Our results point to the molecular origins of the very low friction in healthy tendons and synovial joints, as well as to novel treatments of lubrication breakdown in these organs.