Osteoarthritis is a prevalent and debilitating disease that involves pathological contributions from numerous joint tissues and cells. The joint is a challenging arena for drug delivery, since the joint has poor bioavailability for systemically administered drugs and experiences rapid clearance of therapeutics after intra-articular injection. Moreover, each tissue within the joint presents unique barriers to drug localization. In this review, the various applications of nanotechnology to overcome these drug delivery limitations are investigated. Nanomaterials have reliably shown improvements to retention profiles of drugs within the joint space relative to injected free drugs. Additionally, nanomaterials have been modified through active and passive targeting strategies to facilitate interactions with and localization within specific joint tissues such as cartilage and synovium. Last, the limitations of drawing cross-study comparisons, the implications of synovial fluid, and the potential importance of multi-modal therapeutic strategies are discussed. As emerging, cell-specific disease modifying osteoarthritis drugs continue to be developed, the need for targeted nanomaterial delivery will likely become critical for effective clinical translation of therapeutics for osteoarthritis.

Improving drug delivery to the joint is a pressing clinical need. Over 27 million Americans live with osteoarthritis, and this figure is continuously expanding. Numerous drugs have been investigated but have failed in clinical trials, likely related to poor bioavailability to target cells. This article comprehensively reviews the advances in nano-scale delivery vehicles designed to overcome the delivery barriers in the joint. This is the first review to analyze active and passive targeting strategies systematically for different target sites while also delineating between tissue homing and whole joint retention. By bringing together the lessons learned across numerous nano-scale platforms, researchers may be able to hone future nanomaterial designs, allowing emerging therapeutics to perform with clinically relevant efficacy and disease modifying potential.