Knee pain is one of the health issues for many people. This pain stems from the wear and tear of the cartilage in a medical condition call as osteoarthritis. Seeking relief, people commonly turn to steroid injections, pain relievers, physical therapies, or getting their knee joint replace.
But, a new development might prove to be a game changer.
Researchers from Duke University have create the first gel-base substitute for natural cartilage, which, according to them, is more durable than the original.
The hydrogel material is made of water and absorbing materials, and can effectively resist wear and tear up to three times more than the natural cartilage.
To develop the material, the team infuse thin sheets of cellulose fibres with a polymer name as polyvinyl alcohol and create a gel.
The polymer has a viscous gum-like consistency and has stringy chains of repeating molecules.
The cellulose mimics the function of the collagen fibres in natural cartilage and provides strength to the gel when it is stretch.
The polyvinyl alcohol helps the gel regain its original shape.
With these properties, a Jello-like material was create that has 60% water but still offers great strength.
Testing reveal that the material was even stronger than the natural cartilage.
Our cartilage can resist 5,800 pounds of tugging and 8,500 pounds of squishing.
So, the artificial cartilage prove to be 26% stronger in tension and 66% stronger in terms of compression than the natural cartilage.
Duke University’s professor Benjamin Wiley Said :
“It’s really off the charts in terms of hydrogel strength,”.
He is the lead author of the study publish in Advanced Functional Materials
The team had develop the hydrogel in 2020 but has now put it to practical use as artificial cartilage.
With the massive strength of the cartilage, researchers face challenges trying to secure it to the joint.
They cement and clamp the hydrogel on a titanium base which was then press and anchor into a hole in the place of the damaged cartilage.
This help them maintain the cartilage in place.
As per Benjamin Wiley, artificial cartilage is better than going for a total knee replacement.
He said artificial joints require major surgery to be implant and need to be replaced later.
Talking of the new material, Benjamin Wiley Said :
“I think this will be a dramatic change in treatment for people at this stage.”
Researchers are now looking forward to the clinical trials of artificial cartilage.
