Effects of dietary calcium fructoborate supplementation on joint comfort and flexibility and serum inflammatory markers in dogs with osteoarthritis

Abstract

Symptoms of osteoarthritis (OA) afflict approximately 20% of adult dogs in NorthAmerica. Clinical signs consistent with OA include decreased range of motion of a joint, reduced physical activity, difficulty climbing stairs or onto furniture, and a reduced ability to rise from a lying position. A safe and effective nutraceutical supplement may benefit dogs suffering from OA. Calcium fructoborate (CFB), a mimetic of a naturally occurring molecule, has previously been reported to be safe and effective in humans with joint problems. The objective of this randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the short-term effects of CFB alone, or in combination with a blend of glucosamine hydrochloride (GH) and chondroitin sulfate (CS), on gait analysis, goniometry, serum inflammatory markers, and owner perception of pain in client-owned dogs. Sixty-four dogs with joint discomfort were recruited and 59 dogs (mean age = 8.42 ± 0.37 yr.; mean BW = 31.11 ± 1.28 kg) completed the study. All procedures were approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, and pet owners signed an informed consent prior to study initiation. Dogs were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: placebo (60 mg fructose; n = 15), low dose (69 mg CFB; n = 14), high dose (127 mg CFB; n = 14), or combination (69 mg CFB, 500 mg GH and 200 mg CS; n = 16).Treatments were provided once daily as dietary supplements. Small dogs weighing up to 22.9 kg received 1 capsule/day, while large dogs weighing 23 to 50 kg received 2 capsules/day for 28 days. A physical examination, radiographs, goniometry measurements, gait analysis, blood sample collection, and the canine brief pain inventory (CBPI) questionnaire were performed and administered on days 0 and 28. As expected, a majority (69%) of the dogs were overweight or obese, with a body condition score (BCS) > 6 on a 9-point scale. Dogs fed the low dose (-2.93) and high dose (-2.21) of CFB were shown to improve (P < 0.05) in their ability to rise from a iii lying position from day 0 to day 28 compared to dogs fed the placebo (0.00), but no difference was observed for dogs fed the combination treatment. Dogs assigned the low dose of CFB also tended to have an improved pain severity score (PSS; -1.46; P = 0.08) and pain at its worst score (-2.14; P = 0.06) from day 0 to day 28 compared to dogs fed the placebo (0.05 and 0.00, respectively). Dogs fed the high dose of CFB had a greater increase (P = 0.05) in serum concentration of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) from day 0 to day 28 (7.88 ng/mL) compared to dogs fed the placebo (0.83 ng/mL). All blood metabolites were within reference range except total alkaline phosphatase and corticosteroid-induced alkaline phosphatase, which started and ended at concentrations greater than the upper reference range.Dogs assigned the high dose of CFB tended to have a greater reduction (P = 0.07) in serum chloride from day 0 to day 28 (-1.64 mmol/L) compared to dogs fed the low dose of ...

A 2022 Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enriched Therapeutic Diets and Nutraceuticals in Canine and Feline Osteoarthritis

“…None of the three trials of calcium fructoborate nutraceuticals (ctg. 7) had any effect, whether used alone or in combination with chondroitin-glucosamine [ 58 ]. For composite nutraceuticals (ctg.…”

“…The low quality of the hydroxycitric acid trials and the lack of efficacy of the fructoborate trials did not allow one to definitively conclude on the use of these products. However, for both types of products, all trials were obtained from the same article [ 39 , 58 ], which could potentially bias our conclusions. Regarding composite nutraceuticals (ctg.…”

Nutrition and nutraceuticals in the changing management of osteoarthritis for dogs and cats

“…13 Common ingredients incorporated into therapeutic diets formulated for joint health include omega-3 fatty acids, GLM, glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate. Results of several studies 1,3,4,10,[18][19][20][21]23 support that these ingredients are beneficial in the management of osteoarthritis, particularly in dogs since research involving cats is more limited (Table 1). The combination of chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine, and omega-3 fatty acids has also been shown to improve the joint status of search-and-rescue dogs as assessed by subjective means.…”

Validation of the Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of ADAMTS5 and FSTL1 in Osteoarthritis Rat Model

“…Furthermore, lack of sensitivity and specificity is limiting the diagnostic competence of the conventional serum inflammatory markers including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), an important proinflammatory cytokine in the innate immune response; C-reactive protein (CRP), an acute-phase protein that plays an important physiological role in complement system activation; and the erythrocytes sedimentation rate (ESR), a well-validated and inexpensive test for the evaluation of inflammation. 5-7…”

“…13,18-20 We also endeavored to conduct the correlation between these 2 proteins with OA progression and with a set of conventional OA-related inflammatory markers, including TNF-α, CRP, and ESR. 5-7…”