Glucosamine Sulfate

Glucosamine sulfate is a building block for the polymeric connective tissue constituents known as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) (also called mucopolysaccharides), and mucoproteins.

Uses & Clinical Applications

• Arthritis (osteoarthritis)
• Rheumatoid arthritis with structural complications.

Clinical Applications for Arthritis

• Decreases pain, reduces tenderness, improves mobility and function in osteoarthritis. Provides clinical efficacy in the treatment of osteoarthritis equal to the symptomatic relief offered by NSAIDs but without significant side effects.
• Symptomatic relief persists for weeks after end of treatment period because cartilage has been rebuilt.
• Serves as a major component of a conservative approach to spinal osteoarthritis.
• Should be considered basic therapy for the management of primary or secondary degenerative osteoarthrosis disorders.
• Clinical efficacy documented far more substantially than glucosamine hydrochloride, N-acetyl glucosamine, and chondroitin sulfate.

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How Does It Work?

• Natural amino sugar, readily soluble in water and easily absorbed into the blood stream through the intestinal mucosa (90-98%) via active transport.
• Small molecular size allows it to cross blood-synovial barrier, diffuse through the cartilage, and enter the chondrocytes.
• Oral supplementation of glucosamine can provide the building blocks needed by chondrocytes and other cells to synthesize GAGs, such as chondroitin sulfate.
• Induces a dose-dependent stimulation of the synthesis of complete proteoglycans by chondrocytes under the conditions of chondrocyte productive deficiency associated with osteoarthritis.
• Stimulates chondrocytes to increase their production of glycosaminoglycans in vitro.
• Contains the sulphur moiety that is essential to the formation of appropriate cross-linking of connective tissue fibers, providing a strong and resilient tissue structure.
• Far better absorbed than chondroitin sulfate, which is only absorbed up to 13%.

Endogenous synthesis declines with age; and chronic ailments, such as osteoarthritis, can arise from the deficit in glucosamine manufacture.

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Dosage

• 500mg three times daily
• Obese patients may need to increase dosage due to excessive stress on weight-bearing joints: 20mg / kg body weight daily.

Side Effects - Glucosamine Sulfate

Gluocosamine side effects are minimal.

• Fully tolerated by 86% and sufficiently by 11.5% of patients.
• Tolerated better with fewer side effects than ibuprofen and other NSAIDs.
• No known interactions with any pharmaceutical or nutraceutical medicines.

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Medical Studies on Glucosamine

1. Delafuente JC, Glucosamine in the treatment of osteoarthritis. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 2000 Feb;26(1):1-11, vii.
2. Deal CL and Moskowitz RW, Nutraceuticals as therapeutic agents in osteoarthritis. The role of glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, and collagen hydrolysate. Rheum Dis Clin North Am 1999 May;25(2):379-95.
3. Bassleer C, et al, Stimulation of proteoglycan production by glucosamine sulfate in chondrocytes isolated from human osteoarthritic articular cartilage in vitro. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 1998 Nov;6(6):427-34.
4. Qiu GX, et al, Efficacy and safety of glucosamine sulfate versus ibuprofen in patients with knee osteoarthritis. Arzneimittelforschung 1998 May;48(5):469-74.
5. Da Camara CC and Dowless GV, Glucosamine sulfate for osteoarthritis. Ann Pharmacother 1998 May;32(5):580-7.
6. Gottlieb MS, Conservative management of spinal osteoarthritis with glucosamine sulfate and chiropractic treatment. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1997 Jul-Aug;20(6):400-14.
7. D'Ambrosio E, et al, Glucosamine sulphate: a controlled clinical investigation in arthrosis. Pharmatherapeutica 1981;2(8):504-8.
8. Murray M, Encyclopedia of Nutritional Supplements. Rocklin, CA: Prima Publishing, 1996.