Via Reuters: Results of lab studies are a balm to my aching knees. The studies suggest that not ony does celecoxib (sold as Celebrex) relieve osteoarthritic pain, it may also have a beneficial effect on cartilage in patients with this condition:
[C]certain moderately selective COX-2 inhibitors may inhibit the synthesis of cartilage proteoglycans. Proteoglycans, along with hyaluronan, are required to provide cartilage with its elasticity and stiffness on compression. These entities are depleted in osteoarthritis and other conditions. To assess the possible effects of celecoxib, the researchers exposed prepared osteoarthritic cartilage specimens to both diclofenac, a non-selective COX inhibitor, and to celecoxib.
Diclofenac did not affect the metabolic balance of hyaluronan and proteoglycans. However, in a “relatively dose-dependent” manner celecoxib increased their synthesis. Celecoxib also reduced the loss of these components from cartilage tissue. Thus, “in contrast to several other nonsteroidal anti- inflammatory drugs . . . celecoxib might be beneficial to osteoarthritic joints by enhancing the cartilage content of both hyaluronan and proteoglycans.”
Read more about it in the November issue of the Journal of Rheumatology (subscription required).
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