2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (4): 617-625

Hyaluronic acid-based composite hydrogel in cartilage injury caused by osteoarthritis: application and mechanism

Zhang Tong1, Cai Jinchi1, Yuan Zhifa1, Zhao Haiyan2, Han Xingwen2, Wang Wenji2     

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Hyaluronic acid is a natural polysaccharide and a common glycosaminoglycan in human body. It has the highest concentration in eyes and joints. It is made into hydrogels because of its biocompatibility, degradability, and low immunogenicity, and is widely used in tissue engineering.
OBJECTIVE: To introduce the characteristics of various hyaluronic acid composite hydrogels and their application in the repair of cartilage damage caused by osteoarthritis.
METHODS: CNKI and Wanfang databases were searched with the key words of “hyaluronic acid, hydrogel, cartilage repair, osteoarthritis” in Chinese. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched with the key words of “hyaluronic acid, hydrogel, cartilage repair, osteoarthritis” in English. The articles published from January 1995 to July 2020 were searched and further analyzed and summarized.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The excellent biological properties of hyaluronic acid hydrogel have made it widely studied in the cartilage repair of osteoarthritis, especially through the combination of biological factors, natural materials, synthetic materials, 3D printing technology, polypeptides, mechanical stimulation, etc., which improved the performance of hyaluronic acid hydrogel and promoted its application in cartilage tissue engineering. Although hyaluronic acid composite hydrogels have been studied more, with the comprehensive development of chemistry, materials, physics, biology and other disciplines in the future, a deeper understanding of the degradation mechanism of hyaluronic acid hydrogels and an exploration of the cartilage damage mechanism in osteoarthritis, the hyaluronic acid composite hydrogel is expected to be designed with high efficiency, no side effects and more suitable for cartilage tissue engineering.

Key words:material, cartilage, hyaluronic acid, hydrogel, cartilage repair, osteoarthritis, tissue engineering, biomaterials, cartilage injury, review