The effect of purslane supplementation on clinical outcomes, inflammatory and antioxidant markers in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A parallel double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that results in joint dysfunction, inflammation, and increased mortality. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of purslane supplements on clinical outcomes, as well as inflammation and antioxidant markers in patients with RA. A double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial. In this 12-week trial, 86 participants aged between 20 and 79 were divided into two groups. The intervention group (n = 43) received a 500 mg purslane capsule twice a day, while the control group (n = 43) received a placebo capsule of the same shape and dosage. Seventy-seven patients (37 from the control group and 40 from the purslane group) completed the study. Purslane capsule intake significantly declined visual analog scale (53.38 ± 23.81 vs. 26.25 ± 17.27, p ≤ 0.001), swollen joint count (4.42 ± 3.36 vs. 1.60 ± 1.64, p ≤ 0.001), tender joint count (8.20 ± 5.93 vs. 2.78± 2.15, p ≤ 0.001), High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (p ≤ 0.001), disease activity score (DAS28) (5.17 ± 1.30 vs. 3.48 ± 1.20, p ≤ 0.001) and increased Superoxide dismutase (p = .037), and total antioxidant capacity (p ≤ 0.001) changes. Furthermore, Morning stiffness (p=.002) and Physician Global Assessment (p = .026) significantly decreased in the purslane group compared to the placebo group at the end of the trial. There was a significant decrease in tumor necrosis factor-α (2.885 ± 2.068 vs. 2.330 ± 1.121, p = .046), and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (36.52 ± 20.04 vs. 26.70 ± 22.59, p = .007) levels in the purslane group. Therefore, supplementation with purslane could lead to improved clinical outcomes, and inflammatory and antioxidant indicators in RA patients. [Display omitted]