Glucosamine, a product that has been touted to help with joint and cartilage problems associated with arthritis, may also provide some relief to individuals with multiple sclerosis ( MS ), a degenerative, nervous system disease with no known cure.

Using a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, researchers at Jefferson Medical College found that doses of Glucosamine similar to those taken for osteoarthritis dramatically delayed the onset of symptoms and improved the animals’ ability to move and walk.

The scientists, led by A. M. Rostami, at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience in Philadelphia, and Guang-Xian Zhang, at Jefferson Medical College, say the treatment’s anti-inflammatory effects may be useful in conjunction with more mainstream therapies such as beta-Interferon in helping patients with multiple sclerosis to delay or perhaps stave off some of the debilitating effects of the disease.

The findings are published in the The Journal of Immunology.

Rostami and his group used an animal model of multiple sclerosis called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis ( EAE ), which mimics the human disease, to investigate glucosamine’s potential immune system-suppressing properties. Such animals gradually develop the disease.

In the studies, some of the mice received Glucosamine, while others did not.

They gave Glucosamine to the mice three ways: orally, intraperitoneally and intravenously. They also tested the drug in one set of animals before the onset of symptoms, and in another group at the time the animals began to show symptoms.

In each case, the researchers showed they could significantly prolong the onset of disease. That is, those animals that got Glucosamine took longer to get ill and once they became ill, the disease was much less severe. It was just as effective when given early in the disease or when the animals became sick.

They examined the animals’ spinal cords and found less inflammation and “demyelination” in those that were given Glucosamine.

“ As a therapy, it might be used in combination with other proven treatments, such as beta-Interferon and Copaxone,” says Rostami.

The research team has some ideas of how Glucosamine exerts its effects.

According to Rostami, EAE and multiple sclerosis are caused by abnormal responses from the immune system’s T cells.
There are two types: TH1, which promotes inflammation, and TH2, which is anti-inflammatory. “ We’ve shown the Glucosamine modulates the immune response by producing more TH2 responses, suppressing brain inflammation,” he says. “ At the same time, it suppresses TH1 response. ”

The researchers currently are testing the effectiveness of combinations of Glucosamine and standard drugs for multiple sclerosis in the same mouse model to look for adverse effects. They are also trying to find out if Glucosamine can suppress the relapses in the relapsing/remitting form of the disease.

Relapsing/remitting is the most common form of multiple sclerosis. Patients experience clearly defined “flare-ups,” acute episodes in which neurological functions worsen, followed by partial or complete recovery periods.

Over 400,000 Americans acknowledge having multiple sclerosis; however, many neurologists believe that nearly one million Americans are living with multiple sclerosis in the United States today.
Symptoms can include fatigue, loss of coordination, muscle weakness, numbness, inability to walk or use hands and arms, pain, vision problems, slurred speech, decline in the ability to think and reason, and bladder/bowel dysfunction.

Source: Thomas Jefferson University, 2005


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