Effect of a natural extract of chicken combs with a high content of hyaluronic acid (Hyal-Joint) on pain relief and quality of life in subjects with knee osteoarthritis: a pilot randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

Kalman DS, Heimer M, Valdeon A, et al. · Nutrition Journal

Neither primary endpoint separated: WOMAC pain at week 8 was 6.3 on the extract against 6.4 on placebo (P=0.94), with the same change from baseline (-4.1 against -4.0), and SF-36 bodily pain was 44.9 against 38.6 (P=0.14). Within-arm improvements were significant in both groups; the extract arm's physical-function and total-symptom changes reached within-group significance at week 4 where placebo's did not, and its SF-36 physical component summary rose 6.1 against 3.6 points. Rescue paracetamol ran at 2.0 against 4.3 capsules a week (P=0.18).

Population

Adults 40 and over with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren-Lawrence 2 or more) at a single US site; 11 randomised to the extract and 9 to placebo, 8 per arm evaluable

Intervention

Hyal-Joint (chicken-comb extract, 60 to 70% hyaluronic acid with hydrolysed collagen and other polysaccharides) 80 mg once daily for 8 weeks, with paracetamol rescue

Comparator

Placebo

Limitations

Pilot of 20 randomised and 16 analysed; every between-group comparison was null, and the paper's positive statements are within-group changes. Funded by a grant from Bioiberica, the extract's maker, which the authors state had no input into design, execution or manuscript; the authors declare no competing interests.