Effect of the Herbal Drug Guilu Erxian Jiao on Muscle Strength, Articular Pain, and Disability in Elderly Men with Knee Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background. Guilu Erxian Jiao (GEJ) is a widely used Chinese herbal remedy for knee osteoarthritis, but its clinical efficacy is unknown. Methods. We enrolled 42 elderly male patients with knee OA, including 21 patients who received the herbal drug GEJ as the case group and 21 patients who did not receive GEJ as the control group. The effects of 12 weeks of GEJ treatment on muscle strength of lower limbs were measured by a Biodex dynamometer, with disability evaluated on the Lequesne index and articular pain measured on the visual analog scale (VAS) between the two groups on the baseline and after treatment. Results. There were significant increases in the levels of muscle strength of TQ/BW-ext-dominant and TQ/BW-flex-dominant between the two groups after treatment (P < 0.05). There were also significant increases in muscle strength of knee extensor muscles in the GEJ-treated group (n = 21) self-controlled before and after 12 weeks of treatment (all P < 0.01). There were significant decreases in articular pain (P < 0.01) and Lequesne index scores (P < 0.01) in the GEJ-treated group when compared to the non-GEJ-treated group. Conclusions. Our results showed that GEJ is effective and is tolerated well in elderly men with knee OA.

Bushen Zhuangjin decoction inhibits TM-induced chondrocyte apoptosis mediated by endoplasmic reticulum stress

“…Our results demonstrated that BZD inhibited the apoptosis of TM-stimulated chondrocytes by regulating the ER stress signaling pathway, as evidenced by the upregulation of the expression of Xbp1 and Bcl-2 and the downregulation of the expression of Bip, Atf4, Chop, Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9. Currently, pharmacological approaches to the treatment of OA include analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents, intraarticular corticosteroids and hyaluronic acid ( 30 ). However, several adverse effects have been associated with these drugs ( 31 – 33 ).…”

Unraveling Natural Products’ Role in Osteoarthritis Management—An Overview

“…Elderly men were included in a 2014 clinical trial in an effort to evaluate the effects of guilu erxian jiao in the context of knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This 12-week study demonstrated overall significant increases in muscle strength and knee flexibility, along with limited pain (p < 0.01) in the intervention group (n = 21) [45].…”

“…There is a growing interest in an herbal mixture that originated in Chinese tradition with reported useful assets in the treatment of some conditions. In particular terms, guilu erxian (GE) glue has been under investigation for its therapeutic potential against joint pain, muscle strength, and disease progression within the context of knee OA, in addition to bone marrow injury and osteoporosis, mostly in the cellular level [42][43][44][45]. For the purposes of this review, we presented the findings of a 2018 study by Chou et al, who evaluated two formulations extracted from GE glue, namely, GE paste and GE liquid in male-induced osteoarthritic mice [44], and reports of a 2014 clinical trial in a population of elderly men with knee OA, which have been presented in the respected segment of the review [45].…”

“…In particular terms, guilu erxian (GE) glue has been under investigation for its therapeutic potential against joint pain, muscle strength, and disease progression within the context of knee OA, in addition to bone marrow injury and osteoporosis, mostly in the cellular level [42][43][44][45]. For the purposes of this review, we presented the findings of a 2018 study by Chou et al, who evaluated two formulations extracted from GE glue, namely, GE paste and GE liquid in male-induced osteoarthritic mice [44], and reports of a 2014 clinical trial in a population of elderly men with knee OA, which have been presented in the respected segment of the review [45]. In the in vivo setting of anterior cruciate ligament transection (ACLT)-induced OA, the effects of a 28-days intervention with GE in the form of either paste or liquid were evaluated in two treatment doses (100 mg/kg/day or 300 mg/kg/day) [42] against phosphate-buffered saline and celecoxib (10 mg/kg/day).…”

Integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into Health Care of Elderly-A Short Review

“…Chinese herbal remedy for the prevention of knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Taiwanese community; current trial results [2] demonstrate that elderly men with OA knee received 12 weeks of GEJ treatment, showed significant improvement in their lower limbs' muscle strength. Decreases of articular pain scores and Lequesne index scores were also observed.…”