2026 Undergraduate Research Showcase

Characterizing the Effect of Viscosupplements on Meniscal Fraying

Document Type

Student Presentation

Presentation Date

4-24-2026

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Trevor Lujan and Katherine Fors

Abstract

Meniscal degeneration contributes to the progression of knee osteoarthritis and is often characterized by surface-level fiber fraying, where the tissue becomes rough and loses structural integrity. Joint lubrication is crucial because it reduces friction and wear within the joint, potentially slowing degeneration. Current research focuses on how improving lubrication can delay the onset of osteoarthritis. A common non-surgical treatment to enhance joint lubrication is viscosupplementation, which injects hyaluronic acid into the joint to improve viscosity. The purpose of this study is to investigate how viscosupplements influence meniscal fraying during mechanical loading. We hypothesize that viscosupplementation will reduce the severity of meniscal fraying compared to saline conditions. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed bovine meniscal samples subjected to mechanical wear testing. After testing, we extracted the wear region. The tissues were frozen, sectioned, and imaged using brightfield microscopy after being stained with Sirius Red. We quantified meniscal fraying using a previously established custom grading scale that assigns scores based on the presence and severity of surface damage. Expected results include measurable differences in fraying severity between saline-treated and viscosupplemented. These results will improve understanding of how viscosupplements influence meniscal wear and may inform future treatments aimed at slowing joint degeneration.

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