Shoulder impingement syndrome is a pathological condition in which the rotator cuff tendons and biceps tendons are pinched during movement, which can lead to tendon damage over time. The disease is more common in athletes and those over 40 years of age. Anti-inflammatory therapy does not always achieve the desired clinical effect.
Scientists from South Korea have proposed an innovative approach to the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome, based on the use of the potential of biologically active substances found in the placenta. The results of a blinded randomized clinical trial in which 50 patients with shoulder impingement syndrome were given subacromial injections of placenta hydrolysate or placebo under ultrasound control were published in the journal BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders (2025), authors Du Hwan Kim et al.
Subacromial injections of placenta hydrolysate significantly reduced pain, improved joint function and quality of life in patients. No side effects were observed. Therefore, the authors consider placenta hydrolysate as a new alternative approach to the treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome.
As is known, the placenta, in addition to stem cells, contains numerous biologically active substances, including amino acid complexes, collagen-derived proteins, and growth factors. Placental hydrolysate also reduces the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, primarily TNF-alpha and cyclooxygenase-2. The latter is an enzyme responsible for the development of inflammation and pain syndrome in the body. It is important that placenta hydrolysate, as reported in the article, inhibits the cyclooxygenase-2 isoform more, but not cyclooxygenase-1, which is a homeostatic enzyme, and inhibition of its expression is not desirable.
In Ukraine, research in the direction of manufacturing and testing the effectiveness of placental preparations has also been conducted for over 50 years. The Institute of Cell Therapy, along with storing cord blood and umbilical cord collected after childbirth, offers future parents the service of placenta cryopreservation for the production of placental extract and isolation of stem cells. The Institute of Cell Therapy has also developed a method of cryopreservation of amniotic membrane, which is obtained from the placenta for the treatment of mine-explosive wounds and use in ophthalmic surgery.
Based on: Kim D.H. et al. Effectiveness and safety of human placenta hydrolysate injection into subacromial space in patients with shoulder impingement syndrome: a single-blind, randomized trial. BMC Musculoskelet Disord 26, 11 (2025). https://bmcmusculoskeletdisord.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12891-024-08266-4
