Phytoproflex®: supplementary management of osteoarthrosis: a supplement registry

MINERVA MEDICA A Journal on Internal Medicine Minerva Medica 2018 April;109(2):88-94 DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4806.17.05460-X Copyright © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA language: English Gianni BELCARO 1 ✉, Mark DUGALL 1, Roberta LUZZI 1, Morio HOSOI 1, Andrea LEDDA 1, Beatrice FERAGALLI 1, Shu HU 1, Apurba GANGULY 2, Roberto EGGENHOFFNER 3, Ambra CORTI 4, Luca GIACOMELLI 3 1 Irvine Vascular Labs, Chieti-Pescara University, Pescara, Italy; 2 OPTM Research Institute, Kolkata, India; 3 Department of Surgical Sciences and Integrated Diagnostics, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 4 Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy PDF BACKGROUND: Curcumin is a powerful anti-oxidant that can be used to treat inflammation and pain in chronic conditions such as osteoarthrosis (OA). Phytoproflex® is characterized by an innovative delivery system that improves bioavailability of curcuminoids and could be useful in the management of OA. METHODS: This 4-week registry included 56 patients with knee OA treated according to the best standard management for symptomatic OA. On top of that, 24 patients used Phytoproflex® supplement preparation (an extract containing boswellic acid 90%, curcumin 20% and valeric acid 0.8%). Patients’ control of symptoms and functional capacity were evaluated through the Karnofsky Scale and standardized treadmill test, together with measurement of oxidative stress levels and use of rescue medication. RESULTS: No problems of tolerability or safety were reported among subjects using the supplement. After 4 weeks, patients treated with the supplement reported a significant decrease in pain (P<0.05), and a significant improvement in the fitness scale (P<0.05), indicating that subjects were able to perform normal daily tasks. Less subjects in the supplement group had to use rescue medication (P<0.05), while oxidative stress levels, which were high at inclusion, significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.05). Moreover, the variation in pain-free walking distance and the Karnofsky Scale were significantly more improved (P<0.05) in patients taking the supplement compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary registry study indicates that Phytoproflex® can be safely used as an effective, supplementary management in most OA patients. KEY WORDS: Curcumin - Glucosamine - Osteoarthritis