| Objective To explore the effect of Danyugukang pill on the quality of life and inflammatory factors in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods A total of 140 patients with mild to moderate (Kellgren-Lawrence II and III) knee OA participated in this randomized, controlled clinical trial and were randomized into two groups, control group and control group, with 70 patients in each group. All subjects received glucosamine sulfate capsules. Patients in the treatment group received Danyugukang pills in addition. The clinical curative effect, VAS, Lequesne and Lysholm scores, the levels of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), tumor necrosis factor—α (TNF-α), collagen C-terminal peptide (CTX-II ), and type I collagen C-terminal peptide (CTX-I) in the two groups were compared before and after treatment. The adverse reactions in the two groups were recorded. Results After 3 months of treatment, VAS, Lequesne, and Lysholm scores in both groups improved significantly (P<0.05), and they improved more significantly in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05). After 3 months of treatment, the levels of TNF-α, CTX-II, CTX-I, and MMP-1 in the two groups were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), and those in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). The effective rate in the treatment group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in adverse drug reactions between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Danyugukang pill effectively relieves pain and related symptoms, improves the inflammation index of joint fluid, and improves knee function in OA patients within 3 months. |