It’s Time for
Genplus to Do the Regenaration
A TAILORED APPROACH FOR LONG TERM RELIEF IN OSTEOARTHRITIS
The Genplus products have been developed to relieve pain and improve mobility in degenerative and traumatic changes of the knee joint and other synovial joints Based on the biomechanical properties of HA, the Genplus range has demonstrated to be efficacious and safe in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, the hip, the shoulder and of several small joints such as the foot, the hand or the spine facets.
The role of CS is twofold: i) optimizing HA’s rheological behaviour, due to specific interactions ii) regulating cartilage metabolism, as a substrate for polysulphated glycosaminoglycans synthesis as well as an inhibitor of catabolic cytokines and metalloproteinases synthesis. Among other GlcNAc properties contributing to its antiarthritic activity is antiinflamatuar effect and a stimulatory effect on hyaluronic acid synthesis in human articular chondrocytes and synovial fibroblasts.
Chondroitin Sulfate
Glycosaminoglycans are a wide class of biopolymers showing great lubricating properties due to their structure and high affinity to water. Two of them, hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate, play an important role in articular cartilage lubrication.
The results show that following addition of chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronan creates more intermolecular hydrogen bonds than when in homogeneous solution. The presence of chondroitin in a hyaluronan network is beneficial as it may increase its stability. Presented data show hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulfate as viscosity modifiers related to their crosslinking properties in different physicochemical conditions. One potential explanation resides in the increased viscosity when associating CS and SH via hydrogen bonds between N-acetylamino groups, increasing their molecular size, while also having a crosslinking tendency of long fractions, further leading to an increase in viscosity
Chondroitin Sulfate
Based on these observations, CS could be used to improve HA rheological properties to significantly improve synovial fluid properties and enhance lubrication. Binding to core proteins through N and O linkages leads to aggregates of monomers with high molecular weights. The proteoglycan aggregate has viscoelastic and hydration properties and an ability to interact with the adjacent tissue through electric charges leading to cartilage tissue protection. Non-animal SH and its natural crosslinking with CS leads to increased bioavailability, with mechanical and physicochemical properties similar to human synovial fluid. These biopolymers act as a scaffold, binding other matrix molecules including aggrecan, being involved in several important biological functions such as cell adhesion and cell motility regulation, cell differentiation and proliferation, and providing biomechanical properties
Chondroitin sulfate (CS) has a gel-like structure and plays a major role in maintaining the structural integrity of tissues by linking to monomers with high molecular weights, being mainly located around the cartilage of the joints. Furthermore, CS inhibits extracellular proteases involved in connective tissue metabolism, and cartilage cytokine production and induces articular chondrocytes apoptosis
REAL-TIME INFORMATION
N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc)
The key components of glycosaminoglycan polymers (such as chondroitin sulfate and hyaluronan) contained in articular cartilage . Since they are believed to have a crucial role in the formation of glycosaminoglycans in cartilage.
GlcNAc was also reported to stimulate hyaluronan synthesis via the upregulation of hyaluronan synthase-2 in human articular chondrocytes , Hyaluronan is reported to inhibit interleukin (IL-) 1β-induced matrix metalloproteinase-13 expression and IL-1α-induced expression of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTS)-4 through CD44 signaling in arthritic chondrocytes.
Moreover, GlcNAc inhibits the IL-1β-induced gene expression and production of nitric oxide, cyclooxygenase-2 and IL-6 in human articular chondrocytes .
Based on these observations and the present study, we hypothesize that GlcNAc exerts chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory effects, by suppressing the degradation of type II collagen in the joints of healthy individuals due to the inhibition of cartilage degrading enzymes (such as the matrix metalloproteinases and ADAMTS) via the upregulation of hyaluronan synthesis.
