Methods for joint lubrication and cartilage wear prevention making use of glycerophospholipids

A method for lubricating a joint of a mammal for reducing or preventing cartilage wear, the method comprising:

• selecting phospholipids that form liposomes having a phase transition temperature that is in the range of about 20° C. to about 39° C.;
• forming a composition consisting essentially of liposomes of multilamellar vesicles (MLV) dispersed in a fluid medium and having a mean diameter of between about 0.8 μm to about 10 μm, wherein the liposomes are formed from phospholipid (PL) membranes consisting essentially of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or a mixture of DMPC and another PL, provided that in the mixture the DMPC and other PL are present in a ratio of at least 0.6/1.0 (mole/mole) and that the membranes have a phase transition temperature in which solid ordered (SO) to liquid disordered (LD) phase transition occurs in the in the selected range of about 20° C. to about 39° C.;
• and
• administering the selected compositions into a cavity of the joint, wherein the joint has a first temperature and the phase transition temperature of the selected composition is lower than the first temperature.