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I. Gebeshuber, G. van Aken:
"Editorial: Friction and Lubricants Related to Human Bodies";
Lubricants, 5 (2017), 4; 1 - 4.

Biolubrication plays a crucial role in assisting the sliding contacts in many organs in the human
body. Notable examples are the joints, the skin surface, the eye, the mouth and gastrointestinal tract,
the lungs and the red blood cells. In all cases, reduced lubrication leads to increased friction and
adhesion between the surfaces in contact, which may lead to the surfaces becoming stuck and damaged,
ultimately leading to irritation, pain and trauma. Over the past few decades, major advancements
have been achieved in the accumulation of knowledge on the subject.
Joint lubrication has been shown to involve a complex and probably adaptive set of lubrication
mechanisms involving the smoothness of the cartilage lining of the bone surfaces, the properties of
the synovial fluid, which is a lubricating hydrogel of collagen fibrils, hyaluronic acid, glycoproteins
(lubricin) and water, and a weeping mechanism by which joint pressure releases synovial fluid into the
interspacing liquid film separating the cartilage surfaces.