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Glucosamine:
its importance for the metabolism of articular cartilage.
2. Studies on articular cartilage
In healthy individuals there exists a
balance between cartilage proteoglycan synthesis and
degradation. In arthrotic cartilage this metabolic
balance is deteriorated in spite of a sometimes enhanced
proteoglycan synthesis, since the catabolic rate exceeds
the anabolic rate corresponding to the severity of the
disease. The extracellular organic matrix of the
cartilage is destroyed. With different experimental
models it could be demonstrated, that the non steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs commonly used in the treatment
of arthrosis inhibit the synthesis of
mucopolysaccharides, intensify the already existing
metabolic disorder, prevent a normalization of cartilage
composition and thus impair the function of the
cartilage. Glucosamine on the other hand increases in a
dose-dependent way the ability of cartilage to
synthesize both sulfated mucopolysaccharides and protein,
thus restoring the catabolic-anabolic balance of the
cartilage.
Author: Vidal-y-Plana-RR; Karzel-K
Fortschr-Med. 1980 Jun 5; 98(21): 801-6
Nutraceuticals as Therapeutic Agents in Osteoarthritis
This study collected 13 studies and reviewed them to see
what Glucosamine's effect was on arthritis. Glucosamine
was found to be much more effective than placebo and at
least equivalent if not superior in the long term than
Ibuprofen, without the deteriorating effects on the body
that NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen have been shown to have on
the body such as the digestive tract and other major
organs. Different products vary in how much Glucosamine
they contain but the average amount recommended was 1500
mg Glucosamine. The expected cost should be from $30-$45
a month for the product.
Glucosamine Sulphate for the Management of Arthrosis
This clinical abstract (published in 1980! - Glucosamine
has been studied in humans for well over 20 years)
suggests that glucosamine should be considered the basic
therapy of choice for primary (develops with age) or
secondary (injury caused) arthrosis.
Pharmacokinetics
of Glucosamine in Man
Glucosamine was found to be effectively able to diffuse
into the body via oral (such as swallowed liquid) forms,
IV (needles into veins), intramuscular (shots into the
muscle). All forms allowed the glucosamine to be
dispersed and absorbed into the body effectively and
thus all three methods are effective routes of
administration for Glucosamine. It can be safely said
that oral routes (the kind that does not involve needles)
are most likely the most popular method of
administration.
Glucosamine Sulfate Use and Delay of
Progression of Knee Osteoarthritis
Glucosamine was again tested for a period of three years
against placebo in a placebo controlled double blind
study, and the results were astoundingly in favor of
Glucosamine. Placebo joint narrowing (How much "cushion"
exists between the bones, more is better) was much more
pronounced over Glucosamine, showing -.29 to .09 mm
DETERIORATION with placebo versus a -.06 to .14 mm
GROWTH with Glucosamine. Fewer patients with Glucosamine
showed severe narrowings over placebo and the side
effect profiles for both placebo and Glucosamine were
the same.
Glucosamine Sulfate Significantly Reduced
Cartilage Destruction
Glucosamine was shown to be a structure (cartilage)
regrowing drug. In rabbits, the lesions that simulated
osteoarthritis were much smaller in the Glucosamine
group and much larger in the group that received nothing
(the control group).
Double-blind clinical
evaluation of the relative efficacy of ibuprofen and
glucosamine sulphate in the management of osteoarthrosis
of the knee in out-patients.
A
double-blind trial was carried out in 40 out-patients
with unilateral osteoarthrosis of the knee to compare
the efficacy and tolerance of oral treatment with 1.5 g
glucosamine sulphate or 1.2 g ibuprofen daily over a
period of 8 weeks. Pain scores decreased faster during
the first 2 weeks in the ibuprofen than in the
glucosamine treatment group. Although the rate of
decrease was slower, the reduction in pain scores was
continued throughout the trial period in patients an
glucosamine and the difference between the two groups
turned significantly in favor of glucosamine at Week 8.
No significant differences were observed in swelling or
any of the other parameters monitored. Tolerance was
satisfactory with both treatments, with only minor
complaints being reported by 2 patients on glucosamine
compared with 5 patients on ibuprofen.
Author:
Lopes-Vaz-A
Curr-Med-Res-Opin. 1982; 8(3): 145-9
Clinical Evaluation of Intra-Articular
Glucosamine in Gonarthrosis (Knee Arthritis)
A double blind clinical study that evaluated the effects
of injected(!) Glucosamine verses placebo. Glucosamine
reduced pain to a significantly greater degree than did
placebo. The resulting joint flexibility was much higher
with glucosamine therapy. Note: Glucosamine does *NOT*
need to be injected to be effective. The liquid form
will provide quick and effective absorption without
daily needle sticks and the possibility of infections.
Conservative Management of Spinal
Osteoarthritis with Glucosamine Sulfate
Given the detrimental effects of NSAIDs on joints and
other organs, their use should be discouraged and their
classification as a first choice conservative treatment
should be abolished. A more appropriate treatment for
arthritis would involve trying to keep the joints mobile
through exercise and diet, and using glucosamine sulfate
to aid in the pain reduction and regeneration of
destroyed joints.
Glucosamine may retard
atherogenesis by promoting endothelial production of
heparan sulfate proteoglycans.
Heparan sulfate proteoglycans produced
by vascular endothelium may function physiologically to
restrain the migration, multiplication, and phenotypic
transition of vascular smooth-muscle cells, and to
maintain an anticoagulant luminal surface by bonding and
activating antithrombin III. Thus, ample production of
heparan sulfate proteoglycans may act to prevent
atherosclerosis and its thrombotic complications. The
ability of exogenous heparin to stimulate synthesis of
heparan sulfate proteoglycans by vascular endothelium
may be largely responsible for the positive outcomes of
most controlled evaluations of low-dose heparin as a
long-term therapy for coronary disease. Glucosamine, a
biosynthetic precursor of mucopolysaccharides, can
substantially enhance mucopolysaccharide production when
added to cultured fibroblasts or chondrocytes; the
clinical utility of oral glucosamine in osteoarthritis
may reflect increased synthesis of cartilage
proteoglycans. It is reasonable to speculate that
exogenous glucosamine will likewise enhance heparan
sulfate proteoglycans production by vascular endothelial
cells, and, when administered orally in regimens
comparable to those effective in osteoarthritis, will
thereby act to retard atherogenesis.
Author: McCarty-MF
Med-Hypotheses. 1997 Mar; 48(3): 245-51
Glucosamine Sulfate Compared to Ibuprofen
in Osteoarthritis of the Knee
In clinical trials, Glucosamine was more effective than
placebo in controlling the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
It was also found to be more effective than Ibuprofen.
In addition, a whopping 35% of Ibuprofen users reported
adverse events (generally stomach related) with their
treatment, versus only 6% of the Glucosamine group. (Remember,
hundreds of thousands of people use Ibuprofen every year.)
The efficacy
and safety of glucosamine sulfate in the treatment of
gonarthritis
This
study was performed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy
and tolerability of glucosamine sulfate in patients with
gonarthritis. During the 12-month study period, the
signs and symptoms of the disease were evaluated, as
well as the dosage of the urinary pyridinoline. In this
trial, we demonstrated that glucosamine sulfate has a
chondroprotective activity, which was significant after
the first 3 months of therapy. Moreover, this study
showed that the side effects due to glucosamine sulfate
were mild to moderate and did not require
discontinuation of the drug.
Author:
Giordano-N; Nardi-P; Senesi-M; Palumbo-F; Battisti-E;
Gonnelli-S; Franci-B; Campagna-MS; Gennari-C
Clin-Ter. 1996 Mar; 147(3): 99-105
Therapeutic Activity of Oral Glucosamine
Sulfate in Osteoarthrosis
The patients report of pain, stiffness, and the mobility,
tenderness and swelling of the joint were measured
during the trial. The patients who received the
Glucosamine experienced twice as much (or more) pain
reduction and this occurred twice as fast (or faster).
Glucosamine Sulphate In Osteoarthritis -
A Systematic Review
This was a study that reviewed other studies that have
taken place on Glucosamine, Ibuprofen (a NSAID) and
placebo. In every study, Glucosamine was shown to be
always be more effective than placebo and be atleast as
effective (if not more so) than Ibuprofen, which carries
risks when it is used for long periods of time. Overall,
Glucosamine has been shown to be an effective
therapeutic nutraceutical for certain kinds and
locations of arthritis with almost no side effects.
Efficacy and Safety of Glucosamine
Sulfate Versus Ibuprofen in Patients with Knee
Osteoarthritis
Both glucosamine and ibuprofen significantly reduced the
symptoms of osteoarthritis with the trend of Glucosamine
to be more effective. After 2 weeks of drug
discontinuation there was a remnant therapeutic effect
in both groups, with the trend to be more pronounced in
the Glucosamine group. Glucosamine was significantly
better tolerated than ibuprofen, as shown by the adverse
drug reactions.
Antireactive Properties of Glucosamine
Sulfate
The therapeutic effects of Glucosamine with regard to
the anti-inflammatory activities seems comparable or
superior to that of the known non-steroidal
anti-inflammatories (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen, naproxen
or aspirin. Compared to the NSAIDS, Glucosamine's side
effects on the stomach and digestive tract were
virtually absent. Glucosamine also lacks the eroditive
effects of long term
Referenze : glucosamine-arthritis.org/glucosamine-research/
mdschoice.com/text/abstracts/glucos.htm |
