Friction force microscopy of lubricin and hyaluronic acid between hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces
- 9 July 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in Soft Matter
- Vol. 5 (18), 3438-3445
- https://doi.org/10.1039/b907155e
Abstract
Lubricin and hyaluronic acid (HA), molecular constituents of synovial fluid, have long been theorized to play a role in joint lubrication and wear protection. While lubricin has been shown to function as a boundary lubricant, conflicting evidence exists as to the boundary lubricating ability of hyaluronic acid. Here, we use colloidal force microscopy to explore the friction behavior of these two molecules on the microscale between chemically uniform hydrophilic (hydroxyl-terminated) and hydrophobic (methyl-terminated) surfaces in physiological buffer solution. Behaviors on both surfaces are physiologically relevant since the heterogeneous articular cartilage surface contains both hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements. Friction between hydrophobic surfaces was initially high (µ = 1.1, at 100 nN of applied normal load) and was significantly reduced by lubricin addition while friction between hydrophilic surfaces was initially low (µ = 0.1) and was slightly increased by lubricin addition. At lubricin concentrations above 200 µg/ml, friction behavior on the two surfaces was similar (µ = 0.2) indicating that nearly all interaction between the two surfaces was between adsorbed lubricin molecules rather than between the surfaces themselves. In contrast, addition of HA did not appreciably alter the frictional behavior between the model surfaces. No synergistic effect on friction behavior was seen in a physiological mixture of lubricin and HA. Lubricin can equally mediate the frictional response between both hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces, likely fully preventing direct surface-to-surface contact at sufficient concentrations, whereas HA provides considerably less boundary lubrication.Keywords
This publication has 61 references indexed in Scilit:
- In situ friction measurement on murine cartilage by atomic force microscopyJournal of Biomechanics, 2008
- Decreased lubricin concentrations and markers of joint inflammation in the synovial fluid of patients with anterior cruciate ligament injuryArthritis & Rheumatism, 2008
- The role of lubricin in the mechanical behavior of synovial fluidProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2007
- Adsorption, Lubrication, and Wear of Lubricin on Model Surfaces: Polymer Brush-Like Behavior of a GlycoproteinBiophysical Journal, 2007
- Lateral Nanomechanics of Cartilage Aggrecan MacromoleculesBiophysical Journal, 2007
- Quantitative Nanotribology by AFM: A Novel Universal Calibration PlatformLangmuir, 2006
- Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication in Biological SystemsProceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, 2005
- Removal of the superficial zone of bovine articular cartilage does not increase its frictional coefficientOsteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2004
- Characterization of a bovine synovial fluid lubricating factor. II. Comparison with purified ocular and salivary mucinConnective Tissue Research, 1992
- Lubrication of animal joints. iii. the effect of certain chemical alterations of the cartilage and lubricantArthritis & Rheumatism, 1968