What is A2M
Alpha-2-Macroglobulin (A2M) is a natural anti-inflammatory found in your own blood that stops the inflammatory responses in many diseases process such as arthritis. This allows your body to heal and repair itself, reducing joint pain and improving joint function. Specifically, it is a natural protease inhibitor blocking the protease enzyme responsible for breaking down cartilage in conditions such as arthritis. This will slow down or prevent further cartilage loss in certain degenerative joint diseases and allow the body time to heal itself.
Candidates A2M Treatment
- Osteoarthritis on any part of your body (hands, knees, neck, back, shoulders)
- Joint injuries
- Spinal injuries causing neck or back pain
- Torn Meniscus
- Disc Injury or herniation
- Degenerative disc disease
- Coccydynia
- Many more
How A2M Injected
- Blood Collection: a sample of your blood is collected in a sterile manner
- Concentration of A2M: This blood is processed in a centrifuge concentrating the A2M by separating it from other components in the blood.
- Injection in the Joint: Imaging techniques (such as ultrasound and X-ray) are used to precisely inject concentrated A2M directly into the joints.
Evidence for A2M
Please note! A2M is a novel therapy and is considered investigational. More large-scale clinical trials are warranted. Here are some useful links we feel can educate our patients:
- Identification of Alpha 2 Macroglobulin (A2M) as a master inhibitor of cartilage degrading factors that attenuates post-traumatic osteoarthritis progression – PMC (nih.gov)
- alpha-2-Macroglobulin, a Native and Powerful Proteinase Inhibitor, Prevents Cartilage Degeneration Disease by Inhibiting Majority of Catabolic Enzymes and Cytokines | Current Molecular Biology Reports (springer.com)
- Alpha-2-Macroglobulin Not Significantly Better Than Regular PRP For Knee Arthritis Symptoms – PMC (nih.gov)