Abstract
Nutraceuticals are dietary compounds which have a role in the balance of anabolic and catabolic signals in joints. Their regulatory function on homeostasis of cartilage metabolism nutraceuticals is increasingly considered for the management and, above all, the prevention of osteoarthritis (OA). OA is a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage and synovium inflammation that can cause joint stiffness, swelling, pain, and loss of mobility. It is a multifactorial disease and, due to the great percentage of people suffering from it and the general increase in life expectancy, OA is considered as one of the most significant causes of disability in the world. OA impairs the structural integrity of articular cartilage that greatly depends on a balance between the anabolic and catabolic processes which occur in chondrocytes and synovial fluid of the joints, therefore the integration with nutraceutical compounds in diet increases the treatment options for patients with established OA beyond traditional rehabilitation, medications, and surgical strategies. In our review, with respect to the current literature, we highlight some of many existing nutraceutical compounds that could be used as integrators in a daily diet thanks to their easy availability, such as in olive oil, fish oil, and botanical extracts used as non-pharmacologic treatment.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage and synovium inflammation that can cause joint stiffness, swelling, pain, and loss of mobility [1,2,3]
There are many papers in the scientific literature concerning the use of a great variety of nutraceuticals as an alternative treatment of OA, the aim of our descriptive review is to highlight the importance of non-invasive strategies in the treatment of OA through the use of the most common and available nutraceuticals, such as olive oil, fish oil, and botanical extracts
One double blinded, randomized clinical trial in the literature demonstrated that the topical application of olive oil improved pain and physical function in patients affected by knee osteoarthritis, confirming the utility of the traditional methods used in some rural areas of Iran [45]
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease characterized by cartilage and synovium inflammation that can cause joint stiffness, swelling, pain, and loss of mobility [1,2,3]. OA is characterized by impairments in the structure and functionality of joint cartilage in consequence of an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic processes in the cartilage tissue that could cause its degradation; if cartilage degradation exceeds reparative processes, the OA goes on and advances [14,15] (Figure 1). This degenerative disease is characterized by several changes (narrowed joint space, thickening, formation of osteophytes, and cysts in the subchondral bone) that are rInatd. Because OA involves progressive loss of the structure and functionality of articular cartilage due to an imbalance between anabolic and catabolic processes in the cartilage tissue, preventive and therapeutic interventions are necessary to prevent OA and/or improve the regeneration capacities of joint cartilage [30]
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