Intra-articular injection of xanthan gum: A potential therapy for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) means inflammation of the joints, with the symptoms of joint pain, stiffness, and swelling of the joints. It is a degenerative disease that appears to be caused by both biomechanical and biochemical factors. Intra-articular (IA) injection treatment is one of the main treatment methods for OA because of its positive effect in reducing joint pain and increasing joint mobility. IA injection of xanthan gum (XG) could protect the joint cartilage, relieve the synovitis and reduce the OA progression in experiment OA. The injection of XG may have a long-lasting effect in the joint cavity, which could avoid frequent IA injections. However, for the development of this potential therapy, further studies such as the effective long-term pain relief properties, the detailed action mechanism and the pharmacokinetics of the XG injection will be conducted. This article briefly reviewed the preparation, safety evaluation, pharmacodynamics and possible action mechanism of XG injection, and come up with the ideas for further development of this potential therapy for OA.