A model of lubricant gelling in synovial joints

Abstract

A new unified theory is proposed to describe the rate of initial build-up of a lubricant mucopolysaccharide “gel” on the articular surfaces of the principal weight-bearing joints during normal walking. The fluid transport in the deformable porous cartilaginous matrix is computed from a simple analysis of the coupled equations of motion and incorporates the measured dependence of cartilage permeability on pressure and compressive strain. The resulting flow into the intra-articular gap space (5000 ~ 10,000 A) provides the required boundary condition for the subsequent analysis of the transport of mucopolysaccharide (mucin) long-chain molecules which may form a lubricant gel layer at local concentrations exceeding a critical value. It is shown that the initial rate of formation of lubricant gel depends upon the cartilage permeability and bulk modulus, the loading function, the viscosity and ambient concentration of the long-chain mucin molecules in synovial fluid, and most particularly upon the magnitude of the transverse flux due to ultrafiltration of fluid through the loaded cartilage by exudation and imbibition. The model may provide a framework for much needed further careful experimentation, and serve as a basis for the preliminary design of articular prostheses to function on physiological principles.