Scientists have found that a naturally occurring hormone can relieve joint swelling and pain in rheumatoid arthritis, a finding that may lead to a simple jab to battle the crippling condition.
The hormone, prolactin, reduced arthritis inflammation, bone erosion, joint swelling and pain in a mouse model, Mexican researchers found.
Inflammatory joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis are the result of cartilage damage and loss. Chondrocytes are the only cells that are found in cartilage and their death is linked to decreased cartilage health.
Carmen Clapp and colleagues at the National University of Mexico identified prolactin as a potential treatment for inflammatory joint disease.
Prolactin treatment prevented chondrocyte death and associated cartilage degradation, researchers found.
The study indicates that prolactin therapy has the potential to relieve many symptoms associated with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory-related diseases, researchers said.
The research was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
