New Therapeutic Approach to Treat Osteoarthritis

Repair or regeneration of damaged cartilage tissue could be regenerated through delivering therapeutic growth factors. They could be a new therapeutic approach for treating osteoarthritis.

Researchers from Texas A&M University, led by Dr. Akhilesh K. Gaharwar, have developed a new mode of delivering treatment for cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis.

Gaharwar, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Texas A&M, said the nanoclay-based platform for sustained and prolonged delivery of protein therapeutics has the potential to impact treating osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease that affects nearly 27 million Americans and is caused by breakdown of cartilage that can lead to damage of the underlying bone.

‘Nanoparticle-based new therapeutic approach could prolong delivery of growth factors aiding in cartilage regeneration in osteoarthritis.’
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As America's population ages, the number of osteoarthritis incidences is likely to increase. One of the greatest challenges with treating osteoarthritis and subsequent joint damage is repairing the damaged tissue, especially as cartilage tissue is difficult to regenerate.

One method for repair or regeneration of damaged cartilage tissue is to deliver therapeutic growth factors. Growth factors are a special class of proteins that can aid in tissue repair and regeneration. However, current versions of growth factors break down quickly and require a high dose to achieve a therapeutic potential.

Recent clinical studies have demonstrated significant adverse effects to this kind of treatment, including uncontrolled tissue formation and inflammation.

In Texas A&M's study, published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces, Gaharwar's lab has designed two-dimensional (2D) mineral nanoparticles to deliver growth factors for a prolonged duration to overcome this drawback. These nanoparticles provide a high surface area and dual charged characteristics that allow for easy electrostatic attachment of growth factors.

"These nanoparticles could prolong delivery of growth factors to human mesenchymal stem cells, which are commonly utilized in cartilage regeneration," Gaharwar said. "The sustained delivery of growth factors resulted in enhanced stem cell differentiation towards cartilage lineage and can be used for treatment of osteoarthritis."

Osteoarthritis - Causes, Symptoms, DIagnosis, Treatment, FAQs
Osteoarthritis is one of the commonest joint disorder and occurs as we age due to wear and tear of a joint. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint of the body.

"By utilizing the nanoparticle for therapeutic delivery it is possible to induce robust and stable differentiation of stem cells," said Dr. Lauren M. Cross, senior author of the study and research assistant in the biomedical engineering department.

"In addition, prolonged delivery of the growth factor could reduce overall costs by reducing growth factor concentration as well as minimizing the negative side effects."

Source-Eurekalert