Glucosamine
Glucosamine is an amino sugar known to normalize cartilage metabolism, inhibit degradation, and stimulate the synthesis of proteoglycans. The proteoglycans are important constituents of articular cartilage. Thus, glucosamine is given to assist in the healing of joint and connective disease damage. Amino sugars make up over half the glycosamino-glycans of interstitial tissue that fills the spaces between cells and forms the cellular "glue" that binds cells together. This material is a gel-like matrix of collagen protein and glycosamino-glycans, holding cells in place and regulating those substances which pass between cells. Amino sugars are usually found as monomer residues in complex oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Glucosamine is an amino derivative of the simple sugar, glucose. Glucosamine and other amino sugars are important constituents of many natural polysaccharides. N-acetylglucosamine is an acetylated derivative of glucosamine. Glucosamine, N-acetylglucosamine and other amino sugars are important constituents of many natural polysaccharides. For example, polysaccharides containing amino sugars can form structural materials for cells, analogous to structural proteins. Glucosamine can be obtained by acid hydrolysis of chitin, a complex carbohydrate derived from N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Alternatively, glucosamine can also be produced by acid hydrolysis of variously acetylated chitosans. Chitin is a natural polysaccharide present in various marine and terrestrial organisms, including crustacea, insects, mollusks, and microorganisms, such as fungi. The structure of chitin is that of an unbranched polymer of 2-acetoamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, also known as poly (N-acetyl-D-glucosamine). N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, specifically2-acetamido-2-deoxy-D-glucose, belongs to a larger class of amino sugars which serve a number of important functions and are localized in many areas of the human biosystem. N-acetyl-D-glucosamine is a key amino sugar which is made in the body of all animals from glucose, also called blood sugar. Glucosamine sulfate is an artificially synthesized salt of glucosamine. Glucosamine sulfate has the potential to slow the degeneration of cartilage by stimulating cartilage cells to synthesize glucosamine, glycans and proteoglycans, the building components of cartilage. Glucosamine is a major constituent of hyaluronic acid and is preferentially taken up by chondrocytes and used in the synthesis of hyaluronic acid. By increasing the amount of hyaluronic acid, glucosamine supplementation leads to the rehydration of cartilage, resulting in increased lubrication and shock absorbing capability. Glucosamine supplementation also leads to an increase in proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage, thereby increasing the overall amount and the structural integrity of the cartilage. Glucosamine is a building block of the ground substance of the articular cartilage, the proteoglycans. Glucosamine is also the preferential substrate and a stimulant of proteoglycan biosynthesis. Glucosamine is also used by chondrocytes to produce glycosaminoglycans, which lead to the production of proteoglycans that hold and hydrate connective tissue. With glucosamine supplementation, chondrocytes may be able to replenish the cartilage matrix and synovial fluid when cartilage is damaged. Furthermore, glucosamine inhibits the degradation of proteoglycans and rebuilds the experimentally damaged cartilage. Glucosamine is a nutraceutical supplement that has been shown to provide significant therapeutic relief for arthritis and joint pain. Glucosamine compounds exhibit weak anti-inflammatory activity, but no analgesic activity. Glucosamine in combination with manganese and chondroitin, which is also a component of proteoglycans, is currently marketed as a nutritional supplement to enhance the repair and synthesis of connective tissue and cartilage. Based on these findings, different types of glucosamine were introduced in the therapy of osteoarthritis. So far four main sources of glucosamine are reported namely glucosamine hydrochloride, glucosamine hydroiodide, glucosamine sulphate and N-acetyl glucosamine. Of these, glucosamine sulfate is the most preferred form of glucosamine and is widely used in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other acute and chronic forms of rheumatic and arthritic diseases. The benefits of using glucosamine sulphate in the treatment of osteoarthritis and other arthritic diseases as well as the safety and efficacy of this drug are well proven. Glucosamine is a well known and widely used substance for the treatment of rheumatic fever, arthritic and arthosic complaints, in the acute as well as chronic forms, as well as in the treatment of pathological conditions originating from metabolic disorders of the osteo-articular tissue. Glucosamine combined with ascorbic acid, tyrosine or phenylalanine, and calcium has been shown to accelerate wound healing.
Related products