Benefit/Risk assessment of bromelain – a proteolytic enzyme from Ananas comosus (L.) Merr

Bromelain, an extract from the pineapple plant, has been demonstrated to show anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties and may provide a safer alternative or adjunctive treatment for osteoarthritis in comparison to steroids or non-steroidal antirheumatic drugs. All previous clinical trials, which have been mostly uncontrolled or comparative studies, indicate its potential use for the treatment of osteoarthritis. This poster reviews the mechanism of its putative therapeutic actions, those clinical trials that have assessed its use in different diseases like trauma, phlebitis/varicosis, sinusitis, osteoarthritis…