Efficacy of vitamin E in knee osteoarthritis management of North Indian geriatric population

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common cause of chronic pain and disability in the elderly. It involves progressive destruction of articular cartilage as a consequence of various factors including augmented oxidative stress with advancing age which has not yet been controlled. It is conceivable that exogenous vitamin E supplementation ameliorates the modifiable indexes via regulation of free radical production and the consumption of antioxidant reserve. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the therapeutic effect of vitamin E supplementation in ameliorating the altered activity of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, ceruloplasmin, glutathione peroxidase and catalase), erythrocyte malondialdehyde level (MDA, i.e. marker of lipid peroxidation) and markers of systemic inflammation (plasma C-reactive protein [CRP] and synovial fluid interleukin 6 [IL-6]) in osteoarthritic elderly. Antioxidant enzymes status, MDA, IL-6 and CRP levels were estimated by using standard methods in 40 healthy individuals (control group) and in 40 osteoarthritic patients aged 50-70 years before and after 3 months of vitamin E supplementation, i.e. group I (nonsupplemented) and group II (200 mg/day vitamin E supplemented). The obtained values were compared statistically by using Student's t-test. Marked alteration in antioxidant enzymes, MDA and inflammatory markers were observed in group I (p < 0.05) as compared with controls. These levels were ameliorated significantly after vitamin E supplementation (p < 0.05) in group II. However, elevated levels of serum CRP and synovial fluid IL-6 (r = 0.034; p < 0.05) were decreased insignificantly (p < 0.1) after vitamin E supplementation in knee OA patients. These findings confirm the protective role of vitamin E supplementation against oxidative stress mediated biomolecular deterioration in OA. However, the anti-inflammatory role of vitamin E remains to be explored.