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Lipid self-assembly dependence on hyaluronic acid size reveals biolubrication and osteoarthritic degeneration mechanisms
Materials Science and Engineering Department, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-C hampaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States.
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences in Chemistry, Biotechnology and Health (CBH), Chemistry, Surface and Corrosion Science. School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052, Australia; Laboratoire de Tribologie et Dynamique des Systèmes, École Centrale de Lyon, Lyon, 69130, France; Bioeconomy and Health, Materials and Surface Design, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm, 114 28, Sweden.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8935-8070
Materials Science and Engineering Department, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-C hampaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States; Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, 61801, IL, United States.
2026 (English)In: Science Advances, E-ISSN 2375-2548, Vol. 12, no 3, p. 9517-Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Hyaluronic acid (HA) and phospholipids (PLs) are key components of joint lubrication. In osteoarthritis (OA), the molecular weight (MW) of HA is reduced, which has been proposed to weaken the anchoring capacity of PL and impair lubrication. This study reveals a different mechanism by directly linking the MW to the structure of HA-PL (hybrid) assemblies and frictional properties. Using mixed-MW HA and PL to model this difference between healthy and OA synovial composition, we found interfacial lamellar structures form under healthy-like conditions, while hybrid vesicles predominate in OA-like conditions. At physiologically relevant shear rates, lamellar assemblies maintain ultralow friction, whereas vesicles are removed, causing a tenfold friction increase. These findings provide mechanistic insight into how HA-PL structural organization controls lubrication. While this simplified system does not capture the biochemical complexity of synovial fluid, this study advances understanding and offers a framework for designing structure-informed therapeutic strategies and biomimetic lubricants.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) , 2026. Vol. 12, no 3, p. 9517-
National Category
Physical Chemistry Other Mechanical Engineering
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-376422DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adz9517PubMedID: 41533798Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105027625460OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-376422DiVA, id: diva2:2036213
Note

QC 20260206

Available from: 2026-02-06 Created: 2026-02-06 Last updated: 2026-02-06Bibliographically approved

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Rutland, Mark W.

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