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Updated: Apr 21, 2026
A Friction Testing-Bioreactor Device for Study of Synovial Joint Biomechanics, Mechanobiology, and Physical Regulation
Published on: June 2, 2022
Hairy polyelectrolyte brushes-grafted thermosensitive microgels as artificial synovial fluid for simultaneous
Guoqiang Liu1, Zhilu Liu, Na Li
1State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Lanzhou 730000, P. R. China.
Abstract:
We report the fabrication of poly(3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt) (PSPMK) brushes grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) microgels and their potential as artificial synovial fluid for biomimetic aqueous lubrication and arthritis treatment. The negatively charged PSPMK brushes and thermosensitive PNIPAAm microgels play water-based hydration lubrication and temperature-triggered drug release, respectively. Under soft friction pairs, an ultralow coefficient of friction was achieved, while the hairy thermosensitive microgels showed a desirable temperature-triggered drugs release performance. Such a soft charged hairy microgel offers great possibility for designing intelligent synovial fluid. What is more, the combination of lubrication and drug loading capabilities enables the large clinical potential of novel soft hairy nanoparticles as synthetic joint lubricant fluid in arthritis treatment.
