Resume

Objective:

The objective of this randomized controlled study was to evaluate the efficacy of oral native type II collagen treatment on symptoms and biological markers of cartilage degradation when administered concomitantly with acetaminophen in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Materials and methods:

39 patients diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis were included and were randomized into two groups: one treated with 1500 mg/day of acetaminophen (group AC; n = 19) and the other treated with 1500 mg/day of acetaminophen plus 10 mg/day of native type II collagen (group AC + CII; n = 20) for 3 months.

The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores at rest and while walking, the Western Ontario McMaster pain (WOMAC), the WOMAC function, and the Short Form-36 (SF-36) were recorded. The levels of Coll2-1, Coll2-1NO2, and Fibulin-3 were quantified in urine as biomarkers of disease progression. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02237989.

Results:

After 3 months of treatment, significant improvements compared to baseline in joint pain (walking with VAS), function (WOMAC), and quality of life (SF-36) were reported in the AC + CII group, while only improvements in some subscales of the SF. -36 surveys and VAS walking were detected in the AC group.

Comparisons between the groups revealed a significant difference in the VAS walking score in favor of the AC + CII group compared to the AC group. Biochemical markers of cartilage breakdown in urine were not significantly improved in either group.

Conclusion:

All in all, these results suggest that treatment with native type II collagen combined with acetaminophen is superior to acetaminophen alone for the symptomatic treatment of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Keywords: acetaminophen, knee osteoarthritis, native type II collagen