Osteoarthritis is among the most common forms of arthritis, affecting more than 30 million adults in the United States, with age being the highest risk factor associated with the onset of this disease, and traditional joint health nutraceuticals have been launched at increasing rates, creating a market estimated to have reached $27 billion in 2015.
 
Chenland Nutritionals recently yielded some positive findings on its all-herbal formula JointAlive, which contains extracts from the leaves of Epimedium brevicornum Maxim, Dioscorea nipponica Makino rhizome, and Salvia milthorriza Bunge root, in a preclinical study, following a scientific study which analyzed the regulation of over 250 proteins involved in the formula’s activation of the humoral immunity response, acute inflammatory response, proteolysis regulation, and more.
 
A team of researchers used mass spectrometry-based proteomics, along with label-free quantitative proteomics, to identify the effect of the JointAlive formula against a rat model of osteoarthritis, along with a mechanism analysis. The researchers found that when subjects were given a low-dose treatment of 125 mg/kg of the formula, it restored upregulated proteins compared to downregulated proteins seen in a placebo osteoarthritis group, with a significant association to overall knee joint movement.
 
The restored proteins were also involved in leukocyte-mediated immunity, muscle contraction, muscle filament sliding, and more. The significant differences in inflammatory markers in the placebo group compared to the experimental group suggested that the formula had a therapeutic effect on inflammation.
 
“Overall, proteomic and bioinformatic analysis revealed that the protective mechanism of JointAlive was found to be linked to the depression of the humoral immune response in the MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathway to inhibit the expression of inflammatory factors and increase leukocyte mediated immunity,” Chenland Nutritionals said in the announcement.
 
A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial involving adult mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis patients is set for completion in 2022, the company said. JointAlive has also previously received an NDI notification that recognizes JointAlive as a safe, new dietary ingredient under FDA standards. A previous 90-day open-label clinical trial also provided evidence that JointAlive can relieve joint discomfort in as little as 7 days, the company said.