Potential Lubricating Mechanism of Hyaluronic Acid for a Reduction of Albumin-Mediated Friction in the Artificial Joint System

The average lifespan of artificial joints is 15-25 years, but it is still too short for young and active patients. Human synovial albumin is easily adsorbed on the surfaces of artificial joint materials and has increased friction when subjected to conformational changes. Most studies have focused on the interaction between synovial fluid components and artificial joints when protein conformation has not been modified, but not on how to reduce friction and wear caused by denatured proteins. This study aimed to investigate whether hyaluronic acid could provide lubrication for albumin-mediated friction when high friction was caused by the disrupted secondary structure of albumin. Thermally processed human synovial albumin was used as denatured protein while friction testing, measurement of conformation, adsorption, and viscosity analysis were investigated. The results demonstrated that adding fresh hyaluronic acid to thermally processed albumin solution could reduce 50% of the friction coefficient caused by totally disrupted albumin. The viscosity of thermally processed albumin with fresh hyaluronic acid increased 40 times more than denatured albumin alone, and the adsorbed albumin area with fresh hyaluronic acid increased twice. The results showed hyaluronic acid provided lubrication by increasing the viscosity for friction mediated by denatured albumin, and it may provide a potential solution for prolonging the lifespan of artificial joints.