Glucosamine hydrochloride for the treatment of osteoarthritis symptoms

Abstract

Abstract:Osteoarthritis is the most common arthritis in the world. It affects millions of people with age being the greatest risk factor for developing the disease. The burden of disease will worsen with the aging of the world's population. The disease causes pain and functional disability. The direct costs of osteoarthritis include hospital and physician visits, medications, and assistive services. The indirect costs include work absences and lost wages. Many studies have sought to fi nd a therapy to relieve pain and reduce disability. Glucosamine hydrochloride (HCl) is one of these therapies. There are limited studies of glucosamine HCl in humans. Although some subjects do report statistically signifi cant improvement in pain and function from products combining glucosamine HCl and other agents, glucosamine HCl by itself appears to offer little benefi t to those suffering from osteoarthritis.

A preliminary study of the effects of glucosamine sulphate and chondroitin sulphate on surgically treated and untreated focal cartilage damage

“…Authors: Glucosamine is also available as glucosamine hydrochloride and has been used widely even though there are limited studies of glucosamine HCl in humans (Fox and Stephens, 2007). Both salts (hydrochloride and sulphate), in their pure form, deliver equally effective amounts of the desired glucosamine to joint cartilage.…”

The Anti-Arthritic and Immune-Modulatory Effects of NHAG: A Novel Glucosamine Analogue in Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis

“…Glucosamine rebuilds the cartilage by incorporating itself in the synthesis of proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans [24], and it also inhibits the synthesis of prostaglandin E2, production of reactive oxygen species, proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1 β and TNF- α ) by activated neutrophils and other immune cells [25, 26]. Although glucosamine is good natural therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis that have effective anti-inflammatory and antiarthritic activity of glucosamine, there are some side effects that are associated with the use of glucosamine such as the allergic reaction to its source, that is shellfish; another side effect is to change the insulin regulation and alter blood sugar level so it is contraindicated in diabetic patients, mild gastrointestinal symptoms [27, 28]. Furthermore, due to complex mechanism of joint pain and destruction, glucosamine alone is sometimes not enough so it is important to further improve its biological activity.…”

Treatment of knee osteoarthritis with Orthokine®-derived autologous conditioned serum

“…In general, glucosamine therapy has failed to demonstrate consistent improvement in the pain, function, and stiffness associated with OA, with many trials demonstrating manufacturer bias [24]. Indeed, there seems to be little evidence to support the use of glucosamine hydrochloride [25], however, there is some evidence supporting the use of glucosamine sulfate in combination with chondroitin sulfate to improve pain and function, with some trials also suggesting a chondroprotective effect. Generally, glucosamine and chondroitin are well tolerated with minimal side effects that primarily consist of gastrointestinal upset [21,26].…”