Effect of albumin adsorption on biotribological properties of artificial joint materials

Benilde de Jesus Vieira Saramago; Ana Paula Valagão Amadeu do; Rogério Anacleto Cordeiro

Key information

Authors:

Benilde de Jesus Vieira Saramago (Benilde de Jesus Vieira Saramago); Ana Paula Valagão Amadeu do (Ana Paula Valagão Amadeu do Serro); Rogério Anacleto Cordeiro (Rogério Anacleto Cordeiro Colaço)

Published in

12/12/2012

Abstract

The interaction of total joint replacement materials with the periprosthetic fluid, which substitutes the lubricant existent in natural joints, is responsible for the lubrication mechanisms that minimize friction and wear in prosthesis. The adsorption behavior of albumin, the most abundant protein in the periprosthetic fluid, has been recognized as critical for the lubrication mechanism, but the role played by this protein is not still totally understood. This chapter describes the main contributions to this topic of the work carried out in our laboratory during the last years. Tribological tests were done on different prosthetic pairs, using Hanks’ balanced salt solution, with and without albumin, to model the lubricant. The role of hyaluronic acid in the lubricant was also assessed. Parallel determinations of albumin adsorption on the surfaces involved, by QCM and other methods, as well as characterization of the tribo-surfaces at a submicrometer level, by AFM and SEM, were performed. We confirmed that, in general, albumin has a protective role of the sliding surfaces. However, in certain experimental conditions, adhesion forces between eventually denaturated protein molecules adsorbed on the sliding surfaces may hamper the lubrication process.