Knee replacement patients may avoid long-term pain with antioxidant supplement
NCT ID NCT06083480
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether taking GlyNAC (a mix of two natural amino acids) before and after knee replacement surgery can reduce chronic pain. 148 adults with knee osteoarthritis will take either GlyNAC or a placebo for 4 weeks before surgery and 6 weeks after. Researchers will track pain levels for a year to see if the supplement lowers oxidative stress and prevents long-term pain.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- GlyNAC (a combination of the amino acids glycine and N-acetylcysteine)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost supplement to prevent long-term pain after knee replacement surgery.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial (148 people) testing a supplement, not a drug. The effect may be modest or no better than placebo, and results may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 4
Runs after approval, following long-term safety and how well the treatment works in everyday use.
- Participants
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About 148 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2024
- Expected to finish
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Mar 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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50 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Age 50 or older * Intact cognitive status and ability to provide informed consent (based on cognitive screening with the Mini Mental State Examination) * Ability to read and write in English sufficiently to understand and complete study questionnaires * Undergoing unilateral primary TKA * Medical diagnosis of osteoarthritis * Past 24 hour worst numeric rating scale (NRS) pain of at least 4/10. Exclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of pre-existing neuropathy * Untreated hypo/hyperthyroidism * Untreated heart disease * Alanine transaminase/aspartate transaminase \>2x upper-limit of normal range * serum creatinine \>1.5 mg/dl * Pregnancy * Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) diagnosis prior to undergoing TKA * Presence of lower extremity vascular disease, inflammatory or autoimmune disorders, or malignancy * Presence of current clinically significant chronic pain conditions outside of the lower extremity ( daily pain for \>3 months and greater ≥3/10 in intensity or the focus of medical care) * Presence of other medical conditions that in the opinion of the orthopedic surgeon co-investigators would make a patient's study participation unsafe
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Vanderbilt University Medical Center
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37212, United States
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