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Recent research suggests that the antibiotic Doxycycline slows the progression of osteoarthritis.

Researchers at six sites, led by IUSM's Kenneth Brandt, MD, studied the effect of Doxycycline over a 30-month period on women with knee osteoarthritis. Doxycycline is a member of the tetracycline family of antibiotics.

The study looked at the progression of osteoarthritic cartilage loss and knee pain in 431 women between the ages of 45 and 64 years, all of whom were overweight. Study participants had standard X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in only one knee at the beginning of the trial.

Participants were randomly assigned to receive either Doxycycline in the amount of 100 milligrams twice daily or a placebo.

Doxycycline treatment resulted in a 33 percent decrease in the rate of cartilage loss as shown in the X-rays. Although Doxycycline slowed the progression of cartilage damage in the arthritic knee, it did not significantly affect the knee that was not arthritic at the outset of the trial.

That is not surprising, Dr. Brandt says, because the underlying mechanisms of joint damage respond differently to treatment at different stages of the disease. He added that the positive effects seen with Doxycycline did not suggest that osteoarthritis was an infectious disease. This drug has a unique quality among antibiotics that inhibits the enzymes responsible for the softening and breakdown of joint cartilage in this form of arthritis, he said.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and causes breakdown of the cartilage that separates bones.

Additional Resources:

• The Arthritis Foundation provides several tips for protecting your joints.
• Learn more about osteoarthritis, including symptoms, diagnosis and treatment.
• Read an IU School of Medicine press release about the study.

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