Abstract
ANIMAL joints are subjected to much lower friction than are sliding man-made bearings. This results in part from the soft microporous nature of the articular cartilage1–3, and in part from the synovial fluid4,5 which serves as a lubricant. This mucinous fluid contains large molecules of hyaluronic acid, an unbranched mucopolysaccharide which seems to be coupled to a small protein6. Boundary lubrication arises when these macromolecules adsorb to the rubbing surfaces4,7,8 of the joint.
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WILKINS, J. Proteolytic Destruction of Synovial Boundary Lubrication. Nature 219, 1050–1051 (1968). https://doi.org/10.1038/2191050a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/2191050a0
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