Effects of intra-articular administration of glucosamine and a peptidyl-glucosamine derivative in a rabbit model of experimental osteoarthritis: a pilot study

Abstract The aim of this pilot study was to analyze the eVects of glucosamine (GlcN) and its N-acetyl-phenylalanine derivative (NAPA) in Vitamin A model of osteoarthritis (OA) in rabbits. GlcN or NAPA or saline solution was intra-articularly administered in rabbit OA knees. Histological analysis revealed that treatment with GlcN or NAPA was associated with more homogeneous chondrocyte cellularity, absence of Wssures and fragmentation and more intense staining of the matrix with Alcian Blue compared to the articular surfaces of the knees treated with saline solution. Comparative in vitro study performed on rabbit primary chondrocytes revealed that GlcN and NAPA were also able to counteract the IL-1-upregulation of genes coding for metalloproteases and inXammatory cytokines. Our preliminary in vivo and in vitro studies suggest that GlcN and NAPA could play a disease-modifying protective role in OA by an anti-catabolic eVect and an anti-inXammatory activity on chondrocytes.