Elimination of arthritis pain and inflammation for over 2 years with a single 90 min, topical 14% gallium nitrate treatment: case reports and review of actions of gallium III.

Arthritis is inflammation in a joint often with joint damage, usually accompanied by pain, swelling and stiffness, resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, autoimmune or other causes. It occurs in various forms, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, bacterial arthritis and gout. Gallium III can inhibit the production of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1beta, produced by macrophage-like cells in vitro. A dose-dependent inhibition of IL-1beta and TPA stimulated MMP activity by gallium nitrate at increasing concentrations occurs, demonstrating that gallium nitrate can be a useful modulator of inflammation in arthritis. Gallium III is an inhibitor of bone resorption and is an effective treatment for hypercalcemia. Gallium III has been reported to be effective in the treatment of mycobacterium butycicum-induced arthritis in rats by antagonism of iron III. Long-term elimination of pain from arthritis by gallium III was first observed in horses primarily being treated for navicular disease. Several people treating their horses with gallium nitrate coincidentally found that arthritis pain in their fingers ended and did not return after soaking their hands in 14% gallium nitrate solution. Therefore, the severely arthritic hands of a 60-year-old woman were topically treated with a 14% aqueous solution of gallium nitrate for 90 min. Pain and inflammation from rheumatoid arthritis diminished rapidly, and neither pain nor inflammation returned during the following 2 years from that single treatment. A 61-year-old woman who had osteoarthritis in her left knee, shoulders and wrists was treated orally with 50 ml of a 1% gallium nitrate solution (120 mg elemental gallium) daily using a two week on and two week off protocol, resulting in almost total elimination of pain while on gallium nitrate, while pain partially returned during the two week off periods. Treatment of frozen shoulder with topical 40% gallium nitrate for 120 min resulted in greatly reduced pain and crepitus almost immediately with complete restoration of range of motion, with pain remaining essentially absent for over 1 year. Mechanisms of action are hypothesized to include anti-inflammatory, bone density improvements, antibacterial, anti-iron III and anti-aluminum III effects. Proper use of gallium III may be effective in terminating pain and inflammation of arthritis for years, often with a single treatment.