Effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma combined with sodium hyaluronate on clinical efficacy and serum inflammatory factors in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Objective: To observe the effect of autologous platelet-rich plasma combined with sodium hyaluronate on clinical efficacy and serum inflammatory factor levels in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on a total of 99 knee osteoarthritis patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery after failed conservative treatment in No. 215 Hospital of Shaanxi Nuclear Industry from January 2019 to January 2022. Among them, 45 patients treated with only sodium hyaluronate injection after arthroscopic debridement were grouped as the control group (CG), and 54 patients treated with platelet-rich plasma combined with intra-articular injection of sodium hyaluronate after arthroscopic debridement were the observation group (OG). Visual analogue scale/score (VAS) and Lysholm knee scale (LKS) were used to evaluate the clinical therapeutic effect before and 5 weeks after treatment, and ELISA was to detect the changes of matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), high -sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels in the serum of patients before and 5 weeks after treatment. Risk factors affecting patient outcomes were analyzed by logistic regression. Results: Compared to theCG, the improvement of clinical efficacy in the OG was higher (P < 0.05), as well as its LKS score, while the VAS score after treatment in OG was markedly lower (P < 0.05). After treatment, MMP-3, IL-1 beta, hs-CRP, and TNF-alpha in the OG were significantly lower than those in the CG (P < 0.05). There was nodifference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between the two groups (P > 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that younger age and lower BMI were protective factors for efficacy in the patients, while higher LKS and TNF-alpha were risk factors affecting the efficacy in the patients. Conclusion: Intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma combined with so-dium hyaluronate in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis can significantly reduce the symptoms of knee joint pain, improving knee joint function and in vivo inflammatory response.