Lubricin injections can reduce cartilage degeneration

Medical researchers will report findings today (Oct. 19) that demonstrate that injecting the protein lubricin into knee joints can dramatically reduce cartilage degeneration.

The discovery by scientists at Biomodels, a preclinical drug research organization, and Lubris, a Massachusetts-based startup company, could result in a new therapy for individuals at risk for osteoarthritis, researchers said.

The study, by Gregory D. Jay, MD, PhD, a Professor of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Engineering at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University, will be presented Monday morning at the American College of Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals Conference.

In the study performed at Biomodels, the transection of the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in untreated rats resulted in progressive degeneration of the knee joints and the articular cartilage. In rats treated with recombinant human lubricin, however, the degeneration was far less pronounced, indicating that treatment with lubricin can slow the development of osteoarthritis following traumatic joint injury, and possibly reverse the process, according to Dr. Jay.

Dr. Jay said the study shows that recombinant human lubricin, given as direct injections, "significantly reduced the extent of cartilage degeneration in the knees of rats with post-traumatic osteoarthritis."

"If the research can be successfully translated into humans, it would represent the first successful attempt to protect cartilage and improve boundary lubrication in compromised joints, which could revolutionize both the treatment of osteoarthritis and traumatic joint injury," he said

Dr. Jay's ongoing research suggests that lubricin injections could delay or even prevent the onset of osteoarthritis and reduce or eliminate the need for costly joint-replacement surgery.

The findings are supportive of more than two decades of research by Dr. Jay and his team, in which they have shown that lubricin is a key component of human synovial fluid, itself a requirement for the normal function and lubrication of healthy joints.