抄録
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a supplement consisting of glucosamine and chondroitin on patients with osteoarthritis.
Thirty-six osteoarthritis patients with 55 affected knees were treated with a supplement containing glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin compound for 3 months. As a control, 17 OA patients with 26 affected knees were compared. The effects were analyzed by the knee score, VAS for pain, the face scale, clinical symptoms and overall estimation. The levels of PGE2 and YKL-40, a marker of tissue turnover, were measured in peripheral blood samples. The in vitro effect of glucosamine on PGE2 production by human chondrocytes was also examined.
The knee score, the VAS for pain and the face scale improved with the treatment. Among various modes of pain, motion pain showed the most prominent improvement. Patients with mild symptom and less radiological devastation responded better. Serum PGE2 levels significantly decreased to the levels of healthy controls, whereas serum YKL-40 levels were unchanged by the treatment. Glucosamine hydro-chloride inhibited the IL-1 stimulated production of PGE2 by human chondrocytes derived from both osteoarthritic and normal cartilage.
Taken together with the results of other glucosamine trials, the supplement was considered effective as a treatment for osteoarthritis. One of the targets of glucosamine was considered to be PGE2.
