SYNOVIAL FLUID

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does synovial fluid mean? 

• SYNOVIAL FLUID (noun)
  The noun SYNOVIAL FLUID has 1 sense:

1. viscid lubricating fluid secreted by the membrane lining joints and tendon sheaths etc.

  Familiarity information: SYNOVIAL FLUID used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SYNOVIAL FLUID (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Viscid lubricating fluid secreted by the membrane lining joints and tendon sheaths etc.

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

synovia; synovial fluid

Hypernyms ("synovial fluid" is a kind of...):

secretion (a functionally specialized substance (especially one that is not a waste) released from a gland or cell)

Meronyms (substance of "synovial fluid"):

hyaluronic acid (a viscous mucopolysaccharide found in the connective tissue space and the synovial fluid of movable joints and the humors of the eye; a cementing and protective substance)

 Context examples 

These cells release inflammatory substances into the synovial fluid, the lubricant that allows joints to move smoothly.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

Glucuronic acid is also found in other substances in the body, such as cartilage and synovial fluid (fluid found in the joints).

(Glucuronic acid, NCI Dictionary)

A glucosaminoglycan consisting of D-glucuronic acid and N-acetyl-D-glucosamine disaccharide units that is a component of connective tissue, skin, vitreous humour, umbilical cord, synovial fluid and the capsule of certain microorganisms contributing to adhesion, elasticity, and viscosity of extracellular substances.

(Hyaluronic Acid, NCI Thesaurus)

During osteoarthritis, synovial fluid becomes less viscous and these inflammatory substances come into direct contact with sensory nerve cells in the joint, producing the sensation of pain.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

They then incubated knee sensory nerves isolated from mice in either healthy or osteoarthritis synovial fluid and recorded the activity of these nerves.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

The team found that when incubated with osteoarthritic synovial fluid, the knee nerves were more excitable.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

The researchers obtained synovial fluid from consenting osteoarthritis patients at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and from post-mortem donors with no known joint disease.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

Although the presence of inflammatory chemicals in osteoarthritis synovial fluid has been known since 1959, this is the first evidence that synovial fluid can directly excite sensory nerves and hence is an important contributor to an individual’s experience of pain.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

Researchers at the University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, part of Cambridge University Hospitals, examined whether synovial fluid produced during osteoarthritis is capable of directly exciting sensory nerves supplying knee joints – those nerves responsible for transmitting pain signals.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)

In the future, this set up can be used to identify the specific components of synovial fluid that cause pain and then to test if and how a drug will be useful in arthritic pain.

(Joint lubricating fluid plays key role in osteoarthritic pain, University of Cambridge)