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eCAM Advance Access originally published online on October 6, 2004
eCAM 2004 1(3):251-257; doi:10.1093/ecam/neh035
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© 2004, the authors Evidenced-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 1, Issue 3 © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved. The online version of this article has been published under an open access model. Users are entitled to use, reproduce, disseminate, or display the open access version of this article provided that: the original authorship is properly and fully attributed; the Journal and Oxford University Press are attributed as the original place of publication with the correct citation details given; if an article is subsequently reproduced or disseminated not in its entirety but only in part or as a derivative work this must be clearly indicated.

Review

Bromelain as a Treatment for Osteoarthritis: a Review of Clinical Studies

Sarah Brien1,*, George Lewith1, Ann Walker2, Stephen M. Hicks2 and Dick Middleton3

1University of Southampton Southampton, UK, 2University of Reading Reading, UK, and 3Medic Herb UK Ltd UK

Bromelain, an extract from the pineapple plant, has been demonstrated to show anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis. All previous trials, which have been uncontrolled or comparative studies, indicate its potential use for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This paper reviews the mechanism of its putative therapeutic actions, those clinical trials that have assessed its use in osteoarthritis to date, as well as considering the safety implications of this supplement for osteoarthritis and reviewing the evidence to date regarding the dosage for treating this condition. The data available at present indicate the need for trials to establish the efficacy and optimum dosage for bromelain and the need for adequate prospective adverse event monitoring in such chronic conditions as osteoarthritis.

Keywords: bromelain – herbal – osteoarthritis – proteolytic enzymes – review

*For reprints and all correspondence: Dr Sarah Brien, Complementary Medicine Research, Primary Medical Care, Aldermoor Health Centre, Aldermoor Close, Southampton, Hampshire, S016 5ST. Tel. +44 2380 241068; Fax: +44 2380 8070 1125; E-mail: sbb{at}soton.ac.uk


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