Vitamin E is a fat-soluble antioxidant, which is essential for diverse physiological functions. It plays a critical role in tissue protection from oxidative stress, mediation of the body’s immune mechanism and promotion of the general health of an individual. There is an emerging role for vitamin E in orthopaedics due to its antioxidant, immunomodulation and anti-inflammatory effects.
Vibhu Krishnan Viswanathan et al conducted a study to comprehensively evaluate evidence regarding the use, benefits, pitfalls and future implications of vitamin E in diverse subspecialties of orthopaedics.The authors performed a comprehensive search of literature on 5 databases. The manuscripts, which pertain to examining the role of vitamin E in orthopaedics, were considered. Opinions, editorials, letters, case reports and non-English manuscripts were excluded.
The key findings of the study were:
• 19 manuscripts were selected for the review. Vitamin E is utilised in diverse forms in orthopaedic patients: administered systemically, intraarticularly or locally.
• Systemically-administered vitamin E can mitigate osteoarthritis progression through strengthening of adjoining musculature, gene regulation, protection of subchondral vasculature, and anti-inflammatory properties.
• Vitamin E incorporation has been demonstrated to improve the wear characteristics of highly crosslinked polyethylene and metal alloys in arthroplasty through its antioxidant and osteointegrative abilities.
• Antioxidant vitamin E has been shown to mitigate postoperative arthrofibrosis and septic loosening. Vitamin E can positively influence late callus formation during secondary fracture healing.
• Through its effects on osteoblastic cells, proinflammatory cytokines, growth factors, antioxidant mechanism, hormones and micro-RNA, systemic vitamin E administration can meliorate osteoporosis and mitigate fractures.
The authors concluded - “There is emerging evidence regarding the promising roles of vitamin E in diverse orthopaedic conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, fracture healing, osteomyelitis and arthroplasty. These actions of vitamin E are attributed to its antioxidant, anti-infl ammatory and immunomodulatory functions. Large-scale clinical trials are needed to ascertain its safety, effective administrative dosage and future prospects in the realm of orthopaedic surgery.”
Further reading:
Evaluation of Vitamin E in Trauma and Orthopaedics: A Narrative Synthesis
Vibhu Krishnan Viswanathan et al
Indian Journal of Orthopaedics (2025) 59:1364–1380
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-025-01426-1
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