Platelet-Rich Plasma Composition and Clinical Effects in Knee Osteoarthritis

April 26, 2026 updated by: Viorela Mihaela Ciortea, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Study of the Composition of Platelet-rich Plasma and Its Clinical and Molecular Effect in the Biological Treatment of Knee Arthrosis

This is a prospective, observational cohort study involving 40 patients with primary knee osteoarthritis hospitalized in a rehabilitation hospital in Cluj-Napoca. All participants will receive intra-articular platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections. The study aims to analyze PRP composition and inflammatory biomarkers to better understand disease mechanisms and evaluate treatment effectiveness.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study is designed as an observational, longitudinal, prospective cohort investigation focused on patients with primary degenerative pathology of the knee joint, specifically primary gonarthrosis. The target population includes individuals diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis, while the accessible population consists of patients admitted to the Clinical Rehabilitation Hospital in Cluj-Napoca.

A total of 40 consecutive patients meeting inclusion criteria will be enrolled. Each participant will undergo treatment consisting of an intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) at the knee level. The consecutive inclusion approach reduces selection bias and reflects routine clinical practice.

A central component of the study is the biological characterization of PRP. The investigators will analyze its composition, particularly focusing on growth factors such as platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). This analysis is intended to contribute to the standardization of PRP therapy in knee osteoarthritis.

In parallel, the study will assess systemic inflammatory status by measuring circulating biomarkers, including interleukins (IL-1β, IL-8, IL-18) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Monitoring these biomarkers allows evaluation of the inflammatory response and provides insight into the biological effects of PRP on the intra-articular environment.

Overall, the study seeks to clarify both the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying knee osteoarthritis and the therapeutic mechanisms of PRP, while also assessing its clinical effectiveness through changes in inflammatory markers.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
40

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Romania
    • Cluj
      • Cluj-Napoca, Cluj, Romania, 400347
        • " Iuliu Hatieganu" University of medicine and Pharmacy

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Age between 40 and 80 years
  2. Diagnosis of unilateral or bilateral gonarthrosis radiological grade 2-3 Kellgren-Lawrence
  3. Knee joint pain greater than 4 on the VAS scale
  4. History of knee joint pain for at least 6 months
  5. Patients who are to receive an inpatient PRP injection

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. Diagnosis of secondary gonarthrosis
  2. History of inflammatory rheumatological disease or gout
  3. History of recent minor (1 month) or major (2 years) trauma to the knee joint
  4. History of knee surgery or arthroscopy
  5. Infiltrations, physiotherapy or other knee treatments in the last 3 months
  6. Diagnosis of neoplasia, hematological or immunological diseases
  7. Clinical or biological signs of acute infection
  8. Coagulation disorders

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Other: 40 patients with knee arthrosis receiving an infiltration with plasma rich in platelets
intra-articular administration of plasma rich in platelets (PRP)
Procedure: intra-articular administration of plasma rich in platelets (PRP)
intraarticular injection

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain intensity
Time Frame: Baseline and at 4 weeks
Pain intensity assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Baseline and at 4 weeks
Functional status and symptom severity
Time Frame: Basline and at 4 weeks
Functional status and symptom severity measured by the WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index) questionnaire Health-related quality of life evaluated with the SF-36 questionnaire
Basline and at 4 weeks
Systemic inflammatory markers
Time Frame: Baseline and at 4 weeks
Systemic inflammatory markers: IL-1β, IL-8, IL-18, TNF-α
Baseline and at 4 weeks
General inflammatory indicators
Time Frame: Baseline and at 4 weeks
General inflammatory indicators: erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
Baseline and at 4 weeks
General inflammatory indicators 2
Time Frame: Baseline and at 4 weeks
General inflammatory indicators: C-reactive protein (CRP)
Baseline and at 4 weeks
Growth factor profile of PRP
Time Frame: Baseline
transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
October 15, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
November 20, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 20, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 26, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
April 30, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
April 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
April 26, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IuliuHatieganuUniversity

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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