Ao Duan, Yexin Zhang, Shunbing Wang, Xiaolong Shao, Wenzheng Liu, Bingqing Lin, Xiangtian Deng, Renliang Zhao, Zhencheng Xiong, Xiaoli Peng, Qian Zhang, Wei Lin, Guanglin Wang, Yong Xiang, Zhao Wang, Shouye Hu, Liqun Zhang, Xiaoran Hu
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common joint disease characterized by the degeneration and damage of cartilage tissue, which leads to severe pain and significant restrictions on patients’ daily activities. However, the current treatment methods using analgesics or anti-inflammatory drugs can only alleviate the symptoms of this disease.This study introduces a novel piezoelectric microsphere, referred to as the Chitosan Piezoelectric Microspheres for the Treatment of OA (CPMTO), which exhibits exceptional biocompatibility, significant water absorption capabilities, and complete degradability. CPMTO can be administered through intra-articular injection, which reduces trauma and greatly enhances patient comfort. During joint movement, the piezoelectric elastomer component of CPMTO converts mechanical energy into electrical energy, thereby promoting the regeneration of chondrocytes. Additionally, the hygroscopic characteristics of CPMTO were utilized to combine it with macrophage-targeted PTGFRN + + EVs through an immersion process, resulting in CPMTO PTGFRN++EVs . This combination facilitates the gradual degradation of PTGFRN + + EVs within the body, alleviating the discomfort typically associated with repeated extracellular vesicle injections in patients. Both in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that CPMTO PTGFRN++EVs provide a more effective anti-arthritis response compared to either CPMTO or PTGFRN + + EVs administered separately. Injectable and biodegradable piezoelectric microspheres equipped with macrophage-targeted extracellular vesicles for the treatment of osteoarthritis