The effect of sodium hyaluronate treating knee osteoarthritis on synovial fluid interleukin -1β and clinical treatment mechanism

40 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee were randomized to receive either intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections or placebo injections weekly, for 5 weeks. The purpose of the study was to compare the interleukin-1B content of the knee joint synovial fluid and the severity of knee osteoarthritis in these patients and with a healthy control group, before and after treatment. The results indicated that hyaluronic acid injections improved the severity of knee osteoarthritis and significantly reduced the IL-1B content in comparison to the placebo group after 5 weeks, to represent similar levels in IL-1B content to the healthy group.