Nanoscopic gel particle for intra-articular injection formulation.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) based nanogels showed effective intracellular delivery efficacy for anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory drugs, characterized by their ability targeting relevant cell receptors. In the present study, we demonstrate the ability of hyaluronic acid-polyethyleneimine (HA-PEI) nanogels as a promising dual-functional interfacial active for intra-articular injection to intervene arthritis. Nanomechanical measurements on both model substrates and human cartilage samples confirm that the HA-PEI nanogels can significantly improve interfacial lubrication, in comparison to HA molecules, or silica-based nanoparticles. We show that the Coefficient of Friction significantly decreases with a decreasing nanogel size. The exceptional lubricating performance, coupled with the proven drug delivery capability, evidences the great potential of nanoscopic hydrogels for early-stage arthritis treatment. The flexibility in choosing the chemical nature, molecular architecture, and structural characteristics of nanogels makes it possible to modulate both drug delivery kinetics and interfacial lubrication, thus representing an innovative approach to treat degenerative joint diseases.