Lipid-containing hydrogels Inspired by Cartilage

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"What copes with heavy pressure and exists in a state of constant friction, decade after decade, yet barely gets worn down? The answer is the cartilage padding our joints – actually a marvelous system that both absorbs shocks and lubricates the joints, allowing bones to slide easily against one another. ...
A new gel with better lubricating properties could have applications in the near future in uses such as stent insertion and tissue engineering. It could also lead to the development of artificial joints that can better withstand wear and tear, so that replacement joints last longer and cause fewer problems than those inserted today.  ..."

"... By contrast, the lubricity of articular cartilage, a complex biohydrogel, has been at least partially attributed to nonfluid, lipid-exposing boundary layers. We emulated this behavior in synthetic hydrogels by incorporating trace lipid concentrations to create a molecularly thin, lipid-based boundary layer that renews continuously. We observed a 80% to 99.3% reduction in friction and wear relative to the lipid-free gel, over a wide range of conditions. ..."

Inspired by Cartilage The clever addition of lipids to water-based hydrogels makes them excellent lubricants for biomedical uses

Here is the link to the underlying research article:

Cartilage-inspired, lipid-based boundary-lubricated hydrogels