Abstract
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disorder of multi factorial etiology characterized by the loss of articular cartilage, hypertrophy of bone at the margins, sub-chondral sclerosis, and range of biochemical and morphological alterations of the synovial membrane and joint capsule. Pathological changes in the late stage of OA include softening, ulceration, and focal disintegration of the articular cartilage. Synovial inflammation also may occur. Most arthritis sufferers take acetaminophen to relieve the pain, but it does not reduce the inflammation which could be accelerating the disease process. Doctors often recommend non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis. NSAIDs act by reducing the activity of COX enzymes, thus inhibiting the production of inflammatory prostaglandins.
Due to unsatisfactory traditional treatment options, there has been growing interest in the use of natural health supplements for the treatment of osteoarthritis. One such dietary supplement is SAMe which has been prescribed in Europe for the treatment of osteoarthritis, depression and liver disease since the 1970s.
SAMe as a potential safe treatment for osteoarthritis, that may actually regenerate cartilage. Future studies will provide further evidence of SAMe’s effectiveness and reveal the mechanism by which SAMe increases cartilage synthesis, which is critical to eliminate the suffering of patients with osteoarthritis.
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DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v5i4.46
