{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,30]],"date-time":"2026-07-30T13:16:04Z","timestamp":1785417364222,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,7]],"date-time":"2026-06-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780790400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008641","name":"Chung Shan Medical University","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CSMU 113-02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CSMU 113-02"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008641","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"award":["CSMU 113-02"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CSMU 113-02"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/059ryjv25","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of 12 weeks of Astragalus membranaceus saponins (AMS) supplementation on functional performance, knee joint mobility, self-reported outcomes, and biomarkers of inflammation and cartilage in healthy subjects with knee discomfort. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in healthy subjects aged 20\u201370 years with knee discomfort but without clinically diagnosed knee osteoarthritis. Participants were assigned to receive one capsule of AMS or a placebo once daily for 12 weeks. The pre-specified primary endpoints were the SLSD step count and knee ROM; KOOS total score was a key secondary endpoint; serum biomarkers were exploratory. The results included functional performance assessed by the Single Leg Step Down (SLSD) test, knee range of motion (ROM), and self-reported outcomes using the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS). Knee ROM was measured with a goniometer and recorded as both active ROM and passive ROM for knee flexion and extension. Serum biomarkers of inflammation (IL-8, IL-1\u03b2, MIP-1\u03b1), cartilage degradation (CTX-II, COMP, MMP-13, COL2A1), and cartilage synthesis (PIINP) were evaluated at baseline and Week 12. Results: Within the AMS group, SLSD step count increased significantly by 16.83% (\u0394 = +12.78 steps; p &lt; 0.05) and recovery time decreased significantly by 19.12% (\u0394 = \u2212108.91 s; p &lt; 0.05) compared with baseline, whereas the placebo group showed smaller, non-significant changes (+4.48 steps and \u221256.48 s, respectively); however, neither between-group difference in change scores reached statistical significance. Significant improvements in active and passive knee ROM were observed in both flexion and extension (all p &lt; 0.05) within the AMS group, whereas the placebo group showed no significant changes. KOOSs improved significantly in all domains within the AMS group, with the largest gains observed in sport\/recreation (+22.23%) and quality of life (+18.38%). In the exploratory biomarker analysis, several inflammation and cartilage-related biomarkers changed after AMS supplementation showed within-group reductions (IL-8, COMP, MMP-13) and PIINP increased. Conclusions: 12 weeks of AMS supplementation was associated with improvements in selected functional, mobility, and outcomes in generally healthy adults with self-reported knee discomfort. AMS was also associated with changes in selected circulating biomarkers related to inflammation and cartilage metabolism. These findings should be interpreted as a preliminary, safe, complementary strategy to support joint health in healthy subjects with knee discomfort.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18121842","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T02:32:46Z","timestamp":1780885966000},"page":"1842","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluation of the Effect of Astragalus membranaceus Saponins Administration on Knee Function and Cartilage Biomarkers in Healthy Subjects with Knee Discomfort"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Shu Ru","family":"Zhuang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pui-Ying","family":"Leong","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan"},{"name":"Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan"},{"name":"PhD Program of Business, Feng Chia University, Taichung 402, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hsin-Pei","family":"Chiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Industry Technology Management, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3098-4712","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"You-Cheng","family":"Shen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Industry Technology Management, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 402, Taiwan"},{"name":"Department of Nutrition, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung 402, Taiwan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"989","DOI":"10.2522\/ptj.20140360","article-title":"Knee extensor power relates to mobility performance in people with knee osteoarthritis: Cross-sectional analysis","volume":"95","author":"Accettura","year":"2015","journal-title":"Phys. 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