Page 116 - OR-1-1

and LGG-EVs. DS primarily exerts its effects by in drug discovery but also offers a novel approach for
inhibiting inflammatory pathways; HC-030031 alleviates constructing in vitro disease models.
inflammation and pain by blocking the TRPA1 channel;
LGG-EVs promote cartilage repair by modulating immune Acknowledgments
and inflammatory responses. The experimental results The authors would like to thank Shanghai Tengyun
demonstrated that all these drugs exhibited favorable Biotechnology Co., Ltd. for developing the Hiplot Pro
therapeutic effects in the cartilage organ-on-chip tests. platform (https://hiplot.com.cn/) and providing technical
These findings highlight that the chip platform not only assistance and valuable tools for data analysis and
effectively assesses the efficacy of these different therapeutic visualization.
approaches but also offers significant advantages in
simulating complex pathological environments and drug Funding
mechanisms of action. In addition, the platform can evaluate This work was supported by the Major Research plan of
the efficacy of drugs ranging from small-molecule chemical the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant
compounds (such as DS and HC-030031) to nanoscale No. 92249303), the Key Project of the National Natural
biopharmaceuticals (such as LGG-EVs), underscoring Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82230071), Fujian
its broad applicability. In summary, the chip platform Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant
demonstrates considerable advantages in evaluating the No. 2024J01222), the Young Scientists Fund of the National
efficacy of drugs with varying sizes, compositions, and Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82202674),
mechanisms of action, providing strong technical support and the Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural
for the drug development of OA and other cartilage-related Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 82202334).
diseases. Therefore, based on the specific characteristics
of different drugs, we can further optimize the platform Conflict of interest
by precisely simulating the pathological environment and
adjusting the model structure, enabling the chip platform Jiacan Su is the Editor-in-Chief of this journal but was not
to better mimic the actual pathological structures. This in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process
approach will enhance the accuracy and reliability of drug conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. Separately,
screening. the other authors declared that they have no known
competing financial interests or personal relationships that
In summary, the cartilage-on-chip model introduces a could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
novel approach for OA research and material screening,
showcasing its innovation and potential application. Author contributions
Future studies can improve the model’s biocompatibility, Conceptualization: Ke Xu, Jiacan Su
stability, and precision by exploring new matrix materials Formal analysis: Jian Wang, Miaomiao Wang, Fuxiao Wang
and optimizing microfluidic technology. Furthermore,
integrating the cartilage-on-chip with other organs- Investigation: Jing Zhao, Fuming Shen, Shihao Sheng
on-chip can create a human-on-a-chip platform to Methodology: Yingying Jiang, Yingying Jing
study interactions between various organs. Continuous Writing – original draft: Jing Zhao, Fuming Shen, Shihao
Sheng
technological innovation and interdisciplinary Writing – review & editing: Ke Xu, Jiacan Su
collaboration can enhance the model’s utility and accuracy,
providing a strong foundation for developing effective OA Ethics approval and consent to participate
treatments and strategies.
Not applicable.
5. Conclusion

This study presents an innovative cartilage-on-a- Consent for publication
chip platform designed to mimic the pathological Not applicable.
microenvironment of OA for drug screening purposes. By Availability of data
integrating microfluidics and cartilage tissue engineering,
the platform successfully replicates ECM degradation and The data that support the findings of this study are available
inflammatory responses observed in OA conditions. The from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.
experimental results demonstrate the platform’s efficiency
in evaluating the protective effects of candidate drugs on References
cartilage tissue, providing a reliable and high-throughput 1. Xie R, Pal V, Yu Y, et al. A comprehensive review on 3D
tool for OA drug development. This research not only tissue models: Biofabrication technologies and preclinical
highlights the potential of cartilage-on-a-chip systems applications. Biomaterials. 2024;304:122408.

Volume 1 Issue 1 (2025) 17 doi: 10.36922/or.8461