Researchers have developed a new joint lubricant that can give long lasting relief from osteoarthritis pain compared to other similar treatments available , according to Medical Xpress.
A new joint lubricant developed by researchers offers an effective relief from pain for those who are suffering from osteoarthritis. The joint disease affects more than 27 million Americans and 200 million people globally.
This is a very common occurrence with old age, resulting in pain and swelling in hands, hips, knees and other commonly used joints. There is bone abrasion due to the degradation of the cartilage and synovial fluid.
The newly developed joint lubricant offers not just temporary pain relief from osteoarthritis pain but also provides sufficient lubrication to avoid degradation of the cartilage, said Mark W. Grinstaff, Boston University Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Grinstaff, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School orthopedic surgeon Brian Snyder and a team of Boston University chemistry and engineering students, fellows and clinicians worked together to develop the first synovial fluid.
Currently, osteoarthritis cannot be cured completely but treatments are available, which give temporary pain relief, such as anti-inflammatory drugs or even a complete joint replacement. However, injecting a polymer to increase the synovial fluid in the joint to avoid friction works efficiently to relieve pain and reduces the progression of the disease, the reportm said.
"From our studies, we know our biopolymer is a superior lubricant in the joint, much better than the leading synovial fluid supplement, and similar to healthy synovial fluid," said Grinstaff. "When we used this new polymer, the friction between the two cartilage surfaces was lower, resulting in less wear and surface-to-surface interaction. It's like oil for the joints."
The development of the new polymer derives some properties of natural polysaccharides from a study last year. Polysaccharides are interconnected chainlike structures of large compounds of sugar molecules. It is an important class of biological polymers.
Initially, after developing the lubricant, Grinstaff questioned the use of it as it was found to be slippery when applied between the fingers. Then they realized that the lubricant can be a potential marker in the treatment of osteoarthritis. The molecular properties of the biopolymer help in preventing it from being washed out easily. This can provide long lasting cartilage protection. The synovial fluid, which is currently used as a treatment lasts only a day or two, but the polymer will protect the joint for more than two weeks.
The findings of the study are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
