Photochemical Tissue Passivation for Prevention of Joint Inflammation- MHSRS 2024

giorgina r, rossi n, bejar-chapa m, monteiro j, guastaldi f, kostyra d, hussey m, tynan m, peretti g, randolph m, redmond r

Abstract accepted for poster presentation at the 2024 Military Health System Research Symposium

Inflammation in shoulder and knee joints typically results in pain, stiffness and loss of function. Shoulder injuries in the military (rotator cuff tears, dislocations, etc) can lead to adhesive capsulitis ("frozen shoulder"). Similarly, arthritis involves inflammatory processes subsequent to injury. Both conditions are managed using non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, or surgery, with varying effectiveness and side effects. Photochemical tissue passivation (PTP) drastically reduces inflammation in wound healing and in this study we investigate PTP for reducing progressive inflammatory damage in both joints.

Reduced inflammation associated with frozen shoulder and knee osteoarthritis using PTP in rat models are highly encouraging. Findings highlight the important role of the joint capsule in frozen shoulder and the synovial tissue in the knee in the pathogenesis of arthritis.