The mechanism of action for hyaluronic acid treatment in the osteoarthritic knee: a systematic review

Table 2 Key mechanisms of action reported by the included articles

Mechanism of action	Number of articles	% of included articles	References
Chondroprotective	67	64.42 %	[9, 12, 16–80]
Proteoglycan/Glycosaminoglycan synthesis	22	21.15 %	[27, 42, 44, 48, 62, 69, 83–98]
Anti-inflammatory	21	20.19 %	[13, 20, 21, 25, 27, 52, 54, 55, 68, 72, 96, 97, 99–107]
Mechanical	10	9.61 %	[41, 49, 86, 108–114]
Subchondral bone	8	7.69 %	[23, 31, 32, 45, 115–118]
Analgesic	6	5.76 %	[76, 80, 119–122]

ISSN: 1471-2474