A mechanically resilient soft hydrogel improves drug delivery for treating post-traumatic osteoarthritis in physically active joints.

ABSTRACT: Intra-articular delivery of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs) is likely to be most effective in the early stages of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA), when symptoms are minimal, and patients remain physically active. To ensure effective therapy, DMOAD delivery systems therefore must withstand repeated mechanical loading without altering the kinetics of drug release. While soft materials are typically preferred for DMOAD delivery, mechanical loading can compromise their structural integrity and disrupt controlled drug release. In this study, we present a mechanically resilient soft hydrogel that rapidly self-heals under conditions simulating human running while maintaining sustained release of the cathepsin-K inhibitor L-006235, used as a proof-of-concept DMOAD. This hydrog

SUBMITTER: Joshi N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12002200 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature