Osteoarthritis Medication Delivered via Gel, Released via Joint Compression

Scientists have now discovered the development of a squishy gel that when compressed, works to release inflammatory medicine to painful joints. With the help of future studies, researchers believe that this product could someday deliver medications when and where osteoarthritis patients need it most.

According to lead study authors Xinqia Jia, Chandran R. Sabanayagam and colleagues, they found that in the past few decades, researchers have been developing a variety of "smart" hydrogels that are released via medications through several days rather than in a single burst. Most of the gels release medicine from time or in response to changes in temperature, length and other factors.

Background information from the study notes that only a select few respond to physical pressure, which is what causes pain in the 27 million osteoarthritis patients in the United States.

Researchers worked to develop a special type of hydrogel that can respond to compression via wear and tear of arthritis and pressure of the joints that occur in everyday movements via an inflammatory drug called dexamethasone, which is sometimes used to treat arthritis.

When researchers compressed the hydrogel in the laboratory, it helped boost the release of the drug, which  is currently being tested in smart pain medications throughout laboratory animals.

More information regarding the study can be found via the ACS' journal Biomacromlecules.