Arthritis is a chronic disease of joints. It is highly prevalent, particularly in the elderly, and is commonly associated with pain that interferes with quality of life. Because of its chronic nature, pharmacological approaches to pain relief and joint repair must be safe for long term use, a quality many current therapies lack. Nutraceuticals refer to compounds or materials that can function as nutrition and exert a potential therapeutic effect, including the relief of pain, such as pain related to arthritis, of which osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form. Of interest, nutraceuticals have recently been shown to have potential in relieving OA pain in human clinical trials. Emerging evidence indicates nutraceuticals may represent promising alternatives for the relief of OA pain. In this paper, we will overview OA pain and the use of nutraceuticals in OA pain management, focusing on those that have been evaluated by clinical trials. Furthermore, we discuss the biologic and pharmacologic actions underlying the nutraceutical effects on pain relief based on the potential active ingredients identified from traditional nutraceuticals in OA pain management and their potential for drug development. The review concludes by sharing our viewpoints that future studies should prioritize elucidating the mechanisms of action of nutraceuticals in OA and developing nutraceuticals that not only relieve OA pain, but also mitigate OA pathology.

关节炎是关节的慢性疾病。它非常普遍，尤其是在老年人中，并且通常与影响生活质量的疼痛有关。由于其长期性，缓解疼痛和关节修复的药理学方法对于长期使用必须是安全的，这是许多当前疗法所缺乏的质量。营养保健品是指可以起到营养作用并发挥潜在治疗作用的化合物或材料，包括缓解疼痛（例如与关节炎有关的疼痛），其中骨关节炎（OA）是最常见的形式。有趣的是，最近在人体临床试验中显示出保健食品具有缓解OA疼痛的潜力。越来越多的证据表明，营养保健品可能是缓解OA疼痛的有前途的替代品。在本文中，我们将概述OA疼痛以及在OA疼痛管理中使用营养保健品的过程，重点关注已通过临床试验评估的疼痛。此外，我们讨论了从传统营养保健品在OA疼痛管理中发现的潜在活性成分及其潜在的药物开发潜力，探讨了营养保健品对缓解疼痛的潜在生物学和药理作用。总结通过分享我们的观点得出结论，即未来的研究应优先阐明OA中营养保健品的作用机制，并开发不仅减轻OA疼痛而且减轻OA病理学的营养保健品。我们将根据传统的保健食品在OA疼痛管理中识别出的潜在活性成分及其药物开发的潜力，讨论保健食品对缓解疼痛的潜在生物学和药理作用。总结通过分享我们的观点得出结论，即未来的研究应优先阐明OA中营养保健品的作用机制，并开发不仅减轻OA疼痛而且减轻OA病理学的营养保健品。我们将根据传统的保健食品在OA疼痛管理中识别出的潜在活性成分及其药物开发的潜力，讨论保健食品对缓解疼痛的潜在生物学和药理作用。总结通过分享我们的观点得出结论，即未来的研究应优先阐明OA中营养保健品的作用机制，并开发不仅减轻OA疼痛而且减轻OA病理学的营养保健品。