Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36510167›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2022

Possible synergic action of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and glucosamine sulfate for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: a scoping review.

Nicola Veronese, Fiona Ecarnot, Sara Cheleschi, Antonella Fioravanti, Stefania Maggi

Open access · goldAbstract readScoping Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.4field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Low dose NSAIDs and sysadoas in the management of knee osteoarthritis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2025
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  4. Glucosamine as a regulator of O-GlcNAc signaling: linking metabolism to disease pathogenesis.Inflammation research : official journal of the European Histamine Research Society ... [et al.] · 2026
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Nicola VeroneseDepartment of Internal Medicine, Geriatrics Section, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy.
Fiona EcarnotResearch Unit EA3920, University of Franche-Comté, 25000, Besançon, France. fiona.ecarnot@univ-fcomte.fr.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4224-9731
Sara CheleschiRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, Policlinico Le Scotte, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Antonella FioravantiRheumatology Unit, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese, Policlinico Le Scotte, 53100, Siena, Italy.
Stefania MaggiNational Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, Padua, Italy.
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Senese · ITCentre Hospitalier Universitaire de Besançon · FRNeuroscience Institute · ITUniversity of Palermo · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSeveral studies have reported that glucosamine sulfate (GS) can improve knee osteoarthritis (OA) symptomatology. In parallel, the disease-modifying effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in knee OA have also been investigated. However, limited literature has reported the combined effect of GS and NSAIDs. The aim of this scoping review is to describe the scope and volume of the literature investigating the potential benefits and synergistic effect of a combination of GS and NSAIDs in patients with knee OA.

methodsPubMed and Embase were searched for studies published from inception through April 2022, evaluating the effects of the combination of GS and NSAIDs in OA patients, versus either treatment alone. Data are reported narratively.

resultsFive studies were included in this review; 4 were randomized control trials and one was a prospective observational study. The duration of combination treatment was 6 to 12 weeks. The combination was compared to celecoxib in 2 studies, meloxicam in 1, etoricoxib in 1, and a conventional NSAID in 1 (ibuprofen or piroxicam). All 5 studies reported that in patients with knee OA, the combination of GS plus NSAID yielded a significantly greater benefit than single-agent therapy, in terms of outcomes including pain reduction, function, joint stiffness, and markers of inflammatory activity and cartilage degradation.

conclusionThe 5 studies included in this scoping review all report a significantly greater clinical benefit with a combination of GS plus NSAID compared to either treatment alone. The evidence supports efficacy in reducing pain, improving function, and possibly regulating joint damage. However, further randomized trials with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm these findings.

Indexed as

GlucosamineOsteoarthritis, KneeAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalCelecoxibHumansObservational Studies as TopicPainRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicAnti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-SteroidalCelecoxibGlucosamineCelecoxibChondroprotective effectCyclooxygenase 2 inhibitorsGlucosamine sulfateNon-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugsOsteoarthritisSynergistic effects

Identifiers

PMID36510167
PMCPMC9743630
OpenAlexW4311134296

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.