Written by Taylor Woosley, Staff Writer. 12-week supplementation of 2000 mg of MSM daily resulted in significantly improved health condition scores (p = 0.027) and lower JKOMs scores.
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease characterized by complex disorders of the whole synovial joint, including structural defects of hyaline articular cartilage, loss of intact subchondral bone, tissue hypertrophy and increasing of vascularity in the synovium, and instability of the tendons and ligaments1. One of the main factors in OA pathogenesis is a disturbed cytokine balance in favor of proinflammatory cytokines that initiate a vicious cycle that leads to final effects including damage to cartilage and other intra-articular structures2. Different joints can be involved in OA, yet most burdens are related to hip and knee OA, with a worldwide prevalence estimated to be about 300 million for hip and knee OA3.
Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is a supplement containing organic sulfur that has been reported to slow anatomical joint progressivity in OA through exerting anti-inflammatory properties4. In in vitro studies, MSM has shown inhibition of the nuclear factor kappa-light chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-ĸB), resulting in the reduced expression of IL-1, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)5. Several studies using MSM reported decreased cartilage degeneration and an improvement in pain and physical function6.
Toguchi et al. conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral consumption of MSM on mild knee joint pain in healthy participants. Subject inclusion consisted of healthy Japanese subjects aged 20 years or older, who were experiencing mild pain in the knee joints, who had a 0 or 1 on X-ray at screening and who were identified as being the Kellgren-Lawrence grade (K-L grade). Participants were placed in either the MSM consumption group or a placebo and were instructed to consume 10 tablets daily, five at breakfast and dinner for 12 weeks. The MSM tablets used were OptiMSM® which contained 200 mg MSM per tablet and the placebo tablets contained 200 mg of lactose. All subjects visited testing sites four times at week 0, week 4, week 8, and week 12.
Participants completed the Japanese Knee Osteoarthritis Measure (JKOM) questionnaire, a patient-based self-assessment to evaluate subjective knee symptoms. Primary study outcomes included the total score of the JKOM at 12 weeks. Secondary outcomes were differences in the total JKOM score between screening and weeks 4, 8, and 12, along with scores of pain and stiffness in knees, scores of pain on walking, and values of individual items of the JKOM questionnaire and the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score at weeks 4, 8, and 12.
The Chi-square test was utilized to compare sex and K-L grade between groups. Welch’s t-test of Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze mean differences between the two individual groups. 80 subjects were included in the final analysis. No significant differences were noted between groups at week 0. Significant findings of the study are as follows:
- The MSM group experienced significantly lower health condition scores at 12 weeks compared to the placebo (p = 0.027).
- Both groups had lower JKOMs at 12 weeks compared to baseline, with differences between groups being -0.5 (p = 0.032).
- The four items of the JKOM questionnaire with significant changes in scores were morning pain, nocturnal pain, pain while standing, and health condition.
Results of the study show that 12-week consumption of 2000 mg MSM significantly improved JKOM scores and health condition, indicating better overall general health and knee mobility without pain. Further research on the benefits of MSM on arthritis-related conditions is necessary. Study limitations include lack of appropriate markers to better assess the anti-inflammatory properties of MSM.
Source: Toguchi, Akifumi, Naoto Noguchi, Toshihiro Kanno, and Akira Yamada. “Methylsulfonylmethane Improves Knee Quality of Life in Participants with Mild Knee Pain: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.” Nutrients 15, no. 13 (2023): 2995.
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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Posted January 31, 2024.
Taylor Woosley studied biology at Purdue University before becoming a 2016 graduate of Columbia College Chicago with a major in Writing. She currently resides in Glen Ellyn, IL.
References:
- Yao Q, Wu X, Tao C, et al. Osteoarthritis: pathogenic signaling pathways and therapeutic targets. Signal Transduct Target Ther. Feb 3 2023;8(1):56. doi:10.1038/s41392-023-01330-w
- Molnar V, Matišić V, Kodvanj I, et al. Cytokines and Chemokines Involved in Osteoarthritis Pathogenesis. Int J Mol Sci. Aug 26 2021;22(17)doi:10.3390/ijms22179208
- Giorgino R, Albano D, Fusco S, Peretti GM, Mangiavini L, Messina C. Knee Osteoarthritis: Epidemiology, Pathogenesis, and Mesenchymal Stem Cells: What Else Is New? An Update. Int J Mol Sci. Mar 29 2023;24(7)doi:10.3390/ijms24076405
- Colletti A, Cicero AFG. Nutraceutical Approach to Chronic Osteoarthritis: From Molecular Research to Clinical Evidence. Int J Mol Sci. Nov 29 2021;22(23)doi:10.3390/ijms222312920
- Dalle Carbonare L, Bertacco J, Marchetto G, et al. Methylsulfonylmethane enhances MSC chondrogenic commitment and promotes pre-osteoblasts formation. Stem Cell Res Ther. Jun 5 2021;12(1):326. doi:10.1186/s13287-021-02396-5
- Żęgota Z, Goździk J, Głogowska-Szeląg J. Efficacy of herbal and naturally-derived dietary supplements for the management of knee osteoarthritis: a mini-review. Wiadomosci lekarskie (Warsaw, Poland : 1960). 2021;74(8):1975-1983.
