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Uc25.0
UC-II Research
Too few graded studies
15 peer-reviewed studies
What the evidence says
Too few graded studies
UC-II doesn't have enough studies with structured effect-size data yet to pool a verdict. Browse the studies below for individual findings.
Most evidence is from high-quality meta-analyses and randomised trials published 2009–2026 with a typical study size of 105 participants.
Based on 15 studies · 1 meta-analysis · 9 RCTs · 160 total participants
Confidence
Moderate confidence
By outcome
Joint pain & arthritisModest reduction in knee osteoarthritis pain/stiffness and improved joint flexibility · 8-24 weeks
Too few graded studies12 studies
InflammationEases knee osteoarthritis pain and stiffness in trials, no inflammatory markers measured · 8-24 weeks
Too few graded studies12 studies
Safety profile
Too few graded studies1 study
Active research area
11 studies in the last 5 years · Latest meta-analysis: 2025
200920172026
1RCT2023
Shiojima Y, Takahashi M, Takahashi R, Maruyama K, Moriyama H, Bagchi D · J Am Nutr Assoc (2023)
No plain-language summary recorded for this citation — open the paper to read its abstract.
In plain English: Expert consensus recommends undenatured type II collagen as a nutraceutical adjunct with physiotherapy for long-term use in responders.
Prabhoo R, Patel S, Sardar I, Jangid S, Thirupathy RV, Roy R. · Cureus (2026)
An evidence-based analysis showed that undenatured type II collagen (40 mg/day) improves pain, stiffness, function, and quality of life in early-to-moderate OA (Grades 1-3), with benefits observed within eight weeks, improved compliance, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug-sparing effects.
Comparative evidence favors UC-II® (Lonza Greenwood LLC, USA) over other sources, highlighting the importance of product selection.
Expert consensus recommends undenatured type II collagen as a nutraceutical adjunct with physiotherapy for long-term use in responders.
In plain English: Chondroprotectors containing CS and GS combined with UC-II are actively used in clinical practice in patients with OA and LBP as part of medicine products and pharmaconutraceuticals.
Shavlovskaya OA. · Zhurnal nevrologii i psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova (2024)
UC-II inhibits cartilage destruction at any stage of the disease through the mechanism of immune tolerance, which «trains» the immune system to be tolerant to the antigens of the destroyed cartilage.
There is ample evidence of the successful use of pharmaconutraceuticals based on CS, GS, and UC-II molecules (Chondroguard TRIO) in patients with chronic LBP due to facet joint OA.
Recent studies assessed the effect of vitamins D 3 and K 2 and their combination on OA pathogenesis.
In plain English: Passion fruit peel extract was the best supplement for improving WOMAC pain and function scores in patients with osteoarthritis, followed by Lanconone and collagen.
Chen CS, Wen L, Yang F, Deng YC, Ji JH, Chen RJ, Chen Z, Chen G, Gu JY. · Journal of integrative medicine (2025)
In the WOMAC pain score, the SUCRA of passion fruit peel extract was 91% (mean difference [MD]: -9.2; 95% confidence interval [CI]: [-16.0, -2.3]), followed by methylsulfonylmethane (89%), undenatured type II collagen (87%), collagen (84%), and Lanconone (82%).
The SUCRA (99%) of passion fruit peel extract (MD: -41.0; 95% CI: [-66.0, -16.0]) ranked first in terms of the WOMAC function score, followed by Lanconone (95%), collagen (86%), ParActin (84%), and Lactobacillus casei strain Shirota (83%).
The top three total rankings are passion fruit peel extract (95.0%), Lanconone (88.5%), and collagen (85.0%).
In plain English: After 120 days of supplementation, subjects in the UC-II group exhibited a statistically significant improvement in average knee extension compared to placebo (81.0 ± 1.3º vs 74.0 ± 2.2º; p = 0.011) and to baseline (81.0 ± 1.3º vs 73.2 ± 1.9º; p = 0.002).
Lugo JP et al. · J Int Soc Sports Nutr (2013)
Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled 120-day trial in 55 healthy people with knee discomfort only on exertion: UC-II 40 mg/day (n = 27) or placebo (n = 28)
Knee extension improved versus placebo (81.0° versus 74.0°, p = 0.011)
Time to first joint discomfort on a stepmill rose from 1.4 to 2.8 minutes with UC-II (p = 0.019), a comparison against baseline, not against placebo
Materials and methods The study included 212 patients from 12 centers in the Russian Federation, of whom 50 had radiological stage III knee OA: 41 (82.0%) females and 9 (18.0%) males aged 44 to 75.
The effectiveness of therapy was assessed by the change of pain using the Visual Analog Scale, the WOMAC index, KOOS, the EQ-5D quality of life questionnaire, and the need for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
All patients had a complete blood count, urinalysis, blood chemistry, and ultrasonic examination of the target knee joint.
In plain English: In addition, administration of UC-2 (40 mg daily) is safe and efficacious in the short- and mid-term, reducing inflammation and pain, and improving function, range of motion (ROM) and overall QoL.
Gupta A et al. · Ann Med (2025)
PRISMA-guided qualitative review of 12 studies of UC-II alone for knee osteoarthritis: 3 preclinical, 8 clinical and 1 with both. No pooled analysis
Concludes 40 mg daily is safe and efficacious in the short and mid term, and describes the proposed oral-tolerance mechanism
Calls for more adequately powered trials with longer follow-up to establish long-term efficacy before routine clinical use
In plain English: Even at the smaller dosages, UC-II has also been reported to be more effective than the glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements, which are the supplements most frequently used in the market.
Gencoglu H et al. · Animals (Basel) (2020)
Narrative review of UC-II for joint health in companion animals, mainly large-breed dogs and horses, where osteoarthritis is common
Reports that UC-II, even at smaller doses, has been found more effective than glucosamine and chondroitin
Animal evidence, which does not show the same effect in people
In plain English: Pain, joint stiffness, and quality of life (Physical domain) improved with the inclusion of UC-II for 90 days to the therapeutic toolbox for knee osteoarthritis in individuals aged 60 to 80 years.
Sadigursky D et al. · Acta Ortop Bras (2022)
Comparative prospective study in 105 women aged 60-80 with knee osteoarthritis: UC-II added to treatment for 90 days (n = 53) or no UC-II (n = 52), with no placebo and no stated randomisation
Physical-domain quality of life improved significantly more with UC-II. The mental domain did not change
From first to last visit, VAS pain fell 3.8 versus 1.3 points and WOMAC 9.5 versus 1.3 points