Background: Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint disease, causing pain and leading to functional disability. It greatly affects the quality of life and increases the economic burden on the health care system. Aim: To observe the therapeutic effects of PRP and Amniotic Membrane (AM) separately and in combination in the osteoarthritic rat models. Material and Methods: In this study, animals received intra-articular injection of Platelet Rich Plasma and micronized Amniotic Membrane, both separately and combined, the effect of which was assessed by RT-PCR, Safranin O staining, immunofluorescence assay, histological scoring, and gene expression analysis. Results: Treatment with PRP + micronized AM for knee osteoarthritis had more significant results than the exclusive treatment of PRP and micronized AM. There was an upregulation of proteoglycan, collagen type ΙΙ alpha, Acan, TGF-α and β, as well as downregulation of collagen types 1 alpha and casp3 with the combined treatment of PRP and micronized AM. A remarkable increase in Col2a1, Aggrecan, and a decrease in caspases after 35 days of intra-articular injection were also observed. These all factors indicate the considerable improvement in the osteoarthritis knee. Conclusion: The combination of PRP and micronized AM is more potent in treating osteoarthritis than their individual therapies.

Keywords: platelet-rich plasma, micronized, amniotic membrane, osteoarthritis