Advances in Applied Nano-Bio Technologies

Published date: Mar 20 2025

Journal Title: Advances in Applied Nano-Bio Technologies

Issue title: Advances in Applied Nano-Bio Technologies: Volume 6 Issue 1

Pages: 1 - 7

DOI: 10.18502/aanbt.v6i1.18638

Hengameh Dortajhengameh.dourtaj@gmail.comTissue Engineering Research Group (TERG), Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Mashhad University of Medical Science, Mashhad

Sareh DortajDubai Pharmacy College, Dubai

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease characterized by cartilage degradation and chronic pain, necessitating the development of effective therapeutic strategies. Traditional drug screening methods often fall short in mimicking the complex in vivo environment of joint tissues, leading to suboptimal evaluation of potential treatments. This study introduces microfluidic hydrogel systems specifically designed for high-throughput drug evaluation targeting osteoarthritis. By utilizing hydrogel matrices within microfluidic channels, a biomimetic platform will create that allows for precise control over the cellular microenvironment and drug delivery, facilitating the simultaneous assessment of multiple drug candidates. There is platform’s efficacy through experiments evaluating the therapeutic effects of various anti-inflammatory and cartilage-protective agents on chondrocyte viability and function. Findings indicate that the microfluidic hydrogel systems not only enhance screening throughput but also provide more physiologically relevant insights into drug efficacy for osteoarthritis treatment. This innovative approach has the potential to accelerate the discovery of effective therapies and improve patient outcomes in osteoarthritis management.

Keywords: microfluidic, hydrogel, drug screening, osteoarthritis

[1] Hawker GA. Osteoarthritis is a serious disease. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2019;37:3-6.

[2] Allen K, Thoma L, Golightly Y. Epidemiology of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthr Cartil. 2022;30:184-95.

[3] Motta F, Barone E, Sica A, Selmi C. Inflammaging and osteoarthritis. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2023;64:222-38.

[4] Salman LA, Ahmed G, Dakin SG, Kendrick B, Price A. Osteoarthritis: a narrative review of molecular approaches to disease management. Arthritis Res Ther. 2023;25:27.

[5] Da Costa BR, Pereira TV, Saadat P, Rudnicki M, Iskander SM, Bodmer NS, et al. Effectiveness and safety of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and opioid treatment for knee and hip osteoarthritis: network meta-analysis. BMJ. 2021;375.

[6] Dortaj H, Pourentezari M, Zakizadeh F, Izadi S, Dortaj S, Dehghan M, et al. Production of cartilaginous organoids: potential opportunities and challenges, a review article. Cell J (Yakhteh). 2024;26:427-35.

[7] Wang X, Rivera-Bolanos N, Jiang B, Ameer GA. Advanced functional biomaterials for stem cell delivery in regenerative engineering and medicine. Adv Funct Mater. 2019;29:1809009.

[8] Huang G, Li F, Zhao X, Ma Y, Li Y, Lin M, et al. Functional and biomimetic materials for engineering of the three-dimensional cell microenvironment. Chem Rev. 2017;117:12764-850.

[9] Tolabi H, Davari N, Khajehmohammadi M, Malektaj H, Nazemi K, Vahedi S, et al. Progress of microfluidic hydrogelbased scaffolds and organ-on-chips for the cartilage tissue engineering. Adv Mater. 2023;35:2208852.

[10] Nie J, Fu J, He Y. Hydrogels: the next generation body materials for microfluidic chips? Small. 2020;16:2003797.

[11] Liu AP, Chaudhuri O, Parekh SH. New advances in probing cell–extracellular matrix interactions. Integr Biol. 2017;9:383-405.

[12] Nam K-H, Smith AS, Lone S, Kwon S, Kim D-H. Biomimetic 3D tissue models for advanced high-throughput drug screening. J Lab Autom. 2015;20:201-15.

[13] Urzì O, Gasparro R, Costanzo E, De Luca A, Giavaresi G, Fontana S, et al. Three-dimensional cell cultures: the bridge between in vitro and in vivo models. Int J Mol Sci. 2023;24:12046.

[14] Katz JN, Arant KR, Loeser RF. Diagnosis and treatment of hip and knee osteoarthritis: a review. JAMA. 2021;325:568-78.

[15] Hayashi D, Roemer FW, Guermazi A. Recent advances in research imaging of osteoarthritis with focus on MRI, ultrasound and hybrid imaging. Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2018;36 Suppl 114:22-29.

[16] Hasselgren C, Oprea TI. Artificial intelligence for drug discovery: are we there yet? Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2024;64:527-50.

[17] Aboul-Soud MA, Alzahrani AJ, Mahmoud A. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—roles in regenerative therapies, disease modelling and drug screening. Cells. 2021;10:2319.

[18] Wang Y, Kankala RK, Ou C, Chen A, Yang Z. Advances in hydrogel-based vascularized tissues for tissue repair and drug screening. Bioact Mater. 2022;9:198-220.

[19] Ayon NJ. High-throughput screening of natural product and synthetic molecule libraries for antibacterial drug discovery. Metabolites. 2023;13:625.

[20] Zou Z, Luo X, Chen Z, Zhang YS, Wen C. Emerging microfluidics-enabled platforms for osteoarthritis management: from benchtop to bedside. Theranostics. 2022;12:891.

[21] Roehm KD, Chiesa I, Haithcock D, Gottardi R, Prabhakarpandian B. A vascularized microfluidic model of the osteochondral unit for modeling inflammatory response and therapeutic screening. Lab Chip. 2025;25:370-82.

[22] Yang L, Sun L, Zhang H, Bian F, Zhao Y. Ice-inspired lubricated drug delivery particles from microfluidic electrospray for osteoarthritis treatment. ACS nano. 2021;15:20600-6.

[23] Han Y, Yang J, Zhao W, Wang H, Sun Y, Chen Y, et al. Biomimetic injectable hydrogel microspheres with enhanced lubrication and controllable drug release for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Bioact Mater. 2021;6:3596-607.

[24] Wang Y. Novel drug discovery approaches for MMP-13 inhibitors in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2024:130009.

[25] Oliveira IM, Fernandes DC, Cengiz IF, Reis RL, Oliveira JM. Hydrogels in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: Drug delivery systems and artificial matrices for dynamic in vitro models. J Mater Sci Mater Med. 2021;32:74.

[26] Łabowska MB, Cierluk K, Jankowska AM, Kulbacka J, Detyna J, Michalak I. A review on the adaption of alginategelatin hydrogels for 3D cultures and bioprinting. Materials. 2021;14:858.

[27] Zhao T, Wei Z, Zhu W, Weng X. Recent developments and current applications of hydrogels in osteoarthritis. Bioeng. 2022;9:132.