“Fibrosis, low-grade inflammation, and increased friction are together with degradation of cartilage key culprits for debilitating pain in osteoarthritis (OA), which is one of the most common chronic diseases of today’s aging population. Intraarticular administration of bio-lubricants loaded with a pharmaceutically active component recently showed promise to improve therapy. Liposomes have emerged as exceptional lubricant biomaterial, but their small size leads to rapid clearance from the synovium, causing a need for more frequent administration. We recently developed a liposomal drug delivery system based on aggregation of negatively charged liposomes with physiologically present divalent cations. Here, we expanded our platform by replacing calcium with zinc, reported to exert anti-inflammatory action. The liposomal aggregates extend the release of rapamycin (RAPA) beyond the free liposomes and have a diameter of nearly 100 μm, which was previously established to improve retention in synovial joints. Electron microscopy showed that RAPA alters the irregular morphology of liposomal clusters, which are irreversible upon dilution. RAPA recently showed great promise both in vitro and in vivo at protecting the joints from inflammation and cartilage from further degradation. Our study adds to this by showing that RAPA is also able to dampen the fibrotic response in human OA synovial fibroblasts. Finally, the tribological properties were assessed on nano- and macro-scales on silicon surface and ex vivo porcine cartilage, which showed an excellent protective ability of the system against friction on both scales. Taken together, our study shows that liposomal aggregates have the potential of improving local OA therapy.”
This is hopeful albeit a long way from getting it into people’s (my!) joints. This last year has been a shocking disappointment to me in discovering how little progress there has been on osteoarthritis treatment. If my hands are this disabled/painful in my mid-sixties despite lifelong exercise, weight control, low BP, 20 years of taking glucosamine etc, and rapa for 3 years and now tiny dose of GLP1, what do I face in my 70’s and 80’s!
Osteoarthritis is debilitating to healthspan.
At least if you don’t get depressed about having OA:
Depression, Not Osteoarthritis, Linked to Cognitive Impairments Among Older Adults
But joking aside, OA has a terrible impact on QOL, and you should do all you can to treat it, including the use of anti-inflammatory agents and surgery where you need it (e.g. joint replacement).
OA is a big negative all around including lifespan. We should aim for maximum lifespan without the burden of OA, since OA has a negative impact on the brain and multiple organs longer term. It degrades much more than just your bones and joints. FWIW, within days I’m having ACDF surgery to try to repair at least some of the damage from degenerative disc disease in my cervical spine. And the surgeon who will be operating on me does a lot of published research in the area and fully admits that progress in controlling OA in general is marginal. Very disappointing.