The Role of the Chemokine System in Tissue Response to Prosthetic By-products Leading to Periprosthetic Osteolysis and Aseptic Loosening

Millions of total joint replacements are performed annually worldwide, and the number is increasing every year. The overall proportion of patients achieving a successful outcome is about 80–90% in a 10–20-years time horizon postoperatively, periprosthetic osteolysis (PPOL) and aseptic loosening (AL) being the most frequent reasons for knee and hip implant failure and reoperations. The chemokine system (chemokine receptors and chemokines) is crucially involved in the inflammatory and osteolytic processes leading to PPOL/AL. Thus, the modulation of the interactions within the chemokine system may influence the extent of PPOL. Indeed, recent studies in murine models reported that (i) blocking the CCR2–CCL2 or CXCR2–CXCL2 axis or (ii) activation of the CXCR4–CXCL12 axis attenuate the osteolysis of artificial joints. Importantly, chemokines, inhibitory mutant chemokines, antagonists of chemokine receptors, or neutralizing antibodies to the chemokine system attached to or incorporated into the implant surface may influence the tissue responses and mitigate PPOL, thus increasing prosthesis longevity. This review summarizes the current state of the art of the knowledge of the chemokine system in human PPOL/AL. Furthermore, the potential for attenuating cell trafficking to the bone–implant interface and influencing tissue responses through modulation of the chemokine system is delineated. Additionally, the prospects of using immunoregenerative biomaterials (including chemokines) for the prevention of failed implants are discussed. Finally, this review highlights the need for a more sophisticated understanding of implant debris-induced changes in the chemokine system to mitigate this response effectively.