Statins including Simvastatin is a clinical used drug, mainly used for lowing blood cholesterol. Statins also can induces chondrocytes express BMP-2, chondrogenic genes expressions (collagen type II & aggrecan) as well as cartilage specific extra matrix synthesis. Previous studies indicate that simvastatin can enhance bone repair through inducing BMP-2 expression in osteoblasts. Although simvastatin can promote cartilage repair through enhance BMP-2 expression, it is still an unmet need to promote cartilage repair through enhance BMP-2 expression in stem cells and avoid the ossification caused by BMP-2.
We develop a new method that we use HA as a microenvironment that can enhance the BMP-2, chondrogenic genes expression and cartilage specific matrix formation on MSCs induced by simvastatin, and reduce the expression of osteocalcin, which reduces the possibility of bone formation. This method can be applied for articular cartilage repair.

本技術可製作玻尿酸微粒，或可攜帶辛伐化汀之玻尿酸微粒應用於關節軟骨缺損修補。

關節軟骨缺損的治療仍是難以克服的問題，雖然在美國每年約有40萬例的病人，估計花費約15億美元/年，但目前尚缺乏有效的治療方法及可供應用之藥物及醫療器材，若將本技術加以應用開發成為有效之藥物或醫療器材，則可取得此15億美元/年市場。