ABSTRACT
The term arthritis is derived from the Greek word arthro meaning joint, and it refers to inammation; and thus it is called joint inammation. This is one of the major health concerns throughout the world including the United States. There are several forms of arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are the commonest forms of arthritis. The analysis of the published results suggests that increased oxidative stress and inammation play a central role in the initiation and progression of arthritis. Low-dose methotrexate (MTX) therapy is considered a gold standard for the treatment of RA. Recently developed anticytokine therapy, primarily with antitumor necrosis factor-alpha (anti-TNF-alpha) have been useful in improving the symptoms and reducing the progression of RA. The combination of MTX and anticytokine therapy yields better results than those produced by the individual agents. It should be pointed out that most current treatment strategies have focused on reducing inammation; however, the signicance of reducing oxidative damage has not drawn any signicant attention either in prevention or treatment of arthritis. Therefore, no efforts have been made to evaluate the efcacy of the combination of anti-inammation agents and antioxidants in patients with RA or OA. Since antioxidants reduce oxidative stress, and to a lesser degree, reduce inammation, the combination of anti-inammatory agents and multiple antioxidants may improve the current management of arthritic lesions.
