Kangaroo Cartilage May Help Humans with Arthritis

In the U.S., one in five adults are diagnosed with arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By 2030, 67 million Americans over the age of 18 will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis, according to the CDC.

Osteoarthritis, which mainly affects cartilage at the end of bones, is the most common form. In 2005, an estimated 27 million adults suffered from the disorder. According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, osteoarthritis is characterized by cartilage breakdown, which allows once-separated bones to rub against one another.

Joint replacement is an option for those with severely damaged cartilage. According to Sutter Health, serious complications from such surgery arise in less than 2% of patients. But replacement joints decay with time, and last between 10 and 15 years.

Researchers from the Australia’s Queensland Univ. of Technology are studying kangaroo cartilage in hopes of developing superior artificial joint implants.



“Knee cartilage has been studied extensively. However, there are only limited studies specifically focusing on shoulder cartilage tissues,” said Prof. YuanTong Gu, who led the study. “We think (studying shoulder cartilage) is important, because, especially in sports activities, there is a possibility that the shoulder may get affected by injuries and eventual osteoarthritic development.”

Researchers studied kangaroos due to their bipedal posture, similarity in size to humans and similarity in shoulder mobility to humans.

Using indentation tests, where tissue was pressed by a rounded rod, the researchers determined how kangaroo cartilage deformed. Afterwards, enzymes were added to degrade components of the cartilage, and tests recommenced.

Proteoglycans and collagen, two main components of cartilage tissue, were tested. In shoulder cartilage, the collagen, the main structural support protein in the matrix, played a more important role than proteoglycans. “This differed from other studies of the knee cartilage that identified proteoglycans as more dominant,” according to the American Institute of Physics.

The research highlights the need for artificial cartilage specifically engineered to match the biomechanical properties of the replaced joint, according to Gu.