Modulating carbohydrate-based hydrogels as viscoelastic lubricant substitute for articular cartilages

Viscosupplementation is a therapeutic approach for osteoarthritis treatment, where the synovial fluid,the natural lubricant of the joints, is replaced by viscoelastic solutions with rheological properties compa-rable or better than the starting material. This study presents the development of an innovative platformfor viscosupplementation, based on the optimization of polysaccharide-based colloidal hydrogel, aimingto reduce on-site enzyme degradation and enhance the possibility of hyaluronic acid substitution withalternative biomaterials. Catanionic vesicles are proposed as physical crosslinker that can guarantee theformation of a ‘soft’, tunable network, offering a dual-therapeutic approach: on the mechanical reliefperspective, as well as on the drug/gene delivery strategy. This research focuses on the fabrication andoptimization of colloidal networks, driven by the synergistic interaction among catanionic vesicles andcationic modified cellulose polymers. This study tests the hypothesis that cellulose-like polymers can bearranged into functional matrix, mimicking the mechanical properties of healthy synovial fluids.