To evaluate the therapeutic effects of intraarticular injection of ligustrazine on knee osteoarthritis (OA).
Seventy-one cases of knee osteoarthritis (82 knees) were randomly divided into ligustrazine (LI) group and sodium hyaluronate (SH) group. The patients were intraarticularly injected ligustrazine or sodium hyaluronate once a week for 5 consecutive weeks, and were followed-up for 3 months. Lequesneos protocol for the evaluation of OA severity and activity was used. The therapeutic effects and changes of Lequesneos index were observed after the treatment.
There was significant decrease in Lequesneos index in SH group after the treatment (P<0.01), but not in LI group (P>0.05). Three weeks later, there was significant decrease in Lequesneos index in both groups after the treatment (P<0.01), with no significant difference between SH and LI group (P>0.05). After the 5-week treatment, the efficacy rate of the LI group was 82.1%, and that of the SH group was 87.2%. No serious toxic or side effect was observed during the treatment and the follow-up.
Intraarticular injection of ligustrazine has a therapeutic effect on knee OA. No adverse effect is observed, but it needs long time to take effect.