LUBRICIN INJECTIONS TO MAINTAIN CARTILAGE HEALTH

摘要

Disclosed are novel methods of maintaining articular cartilage health in an atraumatic, non-diseased joint of a mammal, either human or non-human. The methods involve injecting into the joint capsule of the mammal an amount of a lubricin polypeptide to prevent shear-induced chondrocyte apoptosis and to maintain a lubricin-expressing phenotype of chondrocytes.