Recent advances of mussel-inspired materials in osteoarthritis therapy

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic joint disease that significantly affects the quality of life and can lead to disability. Oral and intra-articular administration are the main clinical treatments used to alleviate inflammation and pain. However, the therapeutic efficiency of these approaches is limited by burst drug release, poor retention time, and undesirable toxic effects. In recent years, mussel-inspired materials with strong interfacial adhesiveness have been considered as promising candidates for the treatment of OA. These materials can act as delivery platforms to enhance drug availability; moreover, they display multiple non-pharmacological pathways that alleviate OA. In this review, we introduce the pathological features of OA, summarize the fabrication methods for mussel-inspired materials, and highlight their superiority in response to recent therapeutic strategies for OA.