Influence of cinnoxicam on synovial fluid inflammatory indices

Synovial fluid (SF) from 16 patients with knee-joint effusion due to rheumatoid arthritis (RA, eight patients) and osteoarthritis (OA, eight patients) was examined for volume of SF aspirated, white blood cell total and differential count, total protein concentration, acid phosphatase (AP), and lysozyme activities. The determinations were performed before and after treatment in all the patients involved: four patients with RA and four with OA were treated with cinnoxicam 15 mg/day and four patients with RA and four with OA received no treatment and were considered as controls. The results indicate that cinnoxicam had an effect on AP and on neutrophils but no influence on the other indices considered. No significant variation was observed in the controls. Our study indicates that cinnoxicam may have an influence on SF inflammation, while the reduction in AP activity may reflect a protective effect of the drug on the chondrolesive activity of the SF lysosomal enzymes.