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Preparation, Procedures and Evaluation of Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis
Published on: January 4, 2019
Short-Term Clinical Outcomes and Systemic Inflammatory Biomarker Responses Following Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection
Viorela Mihaela Ciortea1,2, Alina Deniza Ciubean1,2, Titus Vari3
1Department of Physical Medicine, Balneotherapy and Rehabilitation, "Iuliu Hațieganu" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 400347 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
Life (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections improved knee osteoarthritis (KOA) symptoms and reduced specific inflammatory markers like IL-8 and TNF-α in the short term. Further research is needed to confirm these findings in larger trials.
Area of Science:
- Orthopedics
- Regenerative Medicine
- Immunology
Background:
- Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) involves chronic pain and inflammation.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a potential biologic therapy for KOA.
- The link between short-term KOA outcomes and inflammatory biomarkers after PRP is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate short-term clinical outcomes and systemic inflammatory biomarker changes after intra-articular PRP injection in KOA patients.
- To explore the relationship between these clinical improvements and biomarker dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Prospective observational study of 40 patients with grade 2-3 KOA.
- Single ultrasound-guided intra-articular PRP injection administered.
- Clinical outcomes (VAS, WOMAC, SF-36) and serum inflammatory markers (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-18, TNF-α, ESR, CRP) assessed at baseline and 4 weeks.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements in clinical scores (VAS, WOMAC, SF-36) at 4 weeks post-injection (p < 0.001).
- Significant reductions observed in circulating IL-8 (p = 0.009) and TNF-α (p = 0.014) levels.
- No significant changes in IL-1β or IL-18; baseline cytokines did not predict outcomes, but ΔIL-18 correlated with ΔWOMAC (p = 0.032).
Conclusions:
- A single intra-articular PRP injection demonstrated short-term clinical benefits for KOA.
- Selected inflammatory markers (IL-8, TNF-α) decreased, but clinical significance is uncertain.
- Preliminary findings require validation in larger, controlled studies with longer follow-up.
