Fullerene-like MoS2 Nanoparticles as Cascade Catalysts Improving Lubricant and Antioxidant Abilities of Artificial Synovial Fluid

Intraarticular injection of hyaluronic acid (HA) for viscosupplementation is a nonsurgical therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). However, HA fails to lubricate under a significant load and tends to be depolymerized by the overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in inflammation. Here, we for the first time reported that fullerene-like MoS2 (F-MoS2) nanoparticles are efficient lubricants and antioxidants for artificial synovial fluid. A model of arthrosis was built, to evaluate the tribological behavior of F-MoS2 nanoparticles. The tests showed that they significantly improve the antiwear and friction-reducing abilities of the artificial synovial fluid. More importantly, the F-MoS2 nanoparticles possess intrinsic dual-enzyme-like activity, mimicking superoxide dismutases (SOD) and catalases (CAT) under physiological conditions (pH 7.4, 25 °C). By coupling of these unique properties, a self-organized cascade catalytic system was constructed, which includes the disproportionation of superoxide radicals (O2•–) to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and subsequently the disproportionation of H2O2 into oxygen (O2). The effectiveness of the detox system was evaluated by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) models exposed to oxidative stress. After that, F-MoS2 nanoparticles were used to regulate the ROS level in artificial synovial fluid containing HA. Relative viscosity measurements showed the excellent protective effect of F-MoS2 nanoparticles against HA oxidative damage offered by O2•–. These results indicate that F-MoS2 nanoparticles are promising candidates for treatment of OA and other diseases caused by lubrication deficiency or oxidative stress.