Synthetic nanoscale electrostatic particles as growth factor carriers for cartilage repair.

ABSTRACT: The efficient transport of biological therapeutic materials to target tissues within the body is critical to their efficacy. In cartilage tissue, the lack of blood vessels prevents the entry of systemically administered drugs at therapeutic levels. Within the articulating joint complex, the dense and highly charged extracellular matrix (ECM) hinders the transport of locally administered therapeutic molecules. Consequently, cartilage injury is difficult to treat and frequently results in debilitating osteoarthritis. Here we show a generalizable approach in which the electrostatic assembly of synthetic polypeptides and a protein, insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), can be used as an early interventional therapy to treat injury to the cartilage. We demonstrated that poly(glutamic acid) and

SUBMITTER: Shah NJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5457159 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature