Chondroitin Sulfate of Animal Source or Chondroitin Sulfate None-Animal?

Chondroitin sulfate(Hereinafter to CS)  is a glycosaminoglycan considered as a symptomatic slow-acting API for osteoarthritis. After a breakthrough in clinical research , it has been an effective method for a pain relief and increased joint mobility.

According to NIH, you can take CS & Glucosamine under the health care providers. CS is sold as an OTC /dietary supplement in North America  and it is a prescription drug under the EMA in Europe.

Is there any chondroitin-alternatives can be next reliable therapy?

The mainstream CS is based on animals and fishes, but there is some None-Animal “Chondroitin” be shown in the European market.

From the chemical formula, CS is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan composed of N-acetyl-galactosamine and glucuronic acid , depending on the predominating disaccharide unit, it will present different biological activities.

Seaweeds are a good source of nutrients such as proteins and polysaccharides etc...

In fact, the mucopolysaccharides extracted from seaweed is glucuronic acid, However, seaweed extract is only a single substance and has not been sulfurized, so it cannot play the same role as CS.

At present, the medical community generally believes that Chondroitin can only be extracted from animals & fishes and other sources  has not been proved to be equal substance and effective. Therefore， until the new source proves effective, animal chondroitin will still be the main treatment for joint diseases.

The potential of human beings is huge, the power of science is infinite,

We hope that scientific research can discover other source of chondroitin, but there is still no better way to equate this product naturally benefiting us.

References:

 Sawitzke, Allen D.; Shi, Helen; Finco, Martha F.; Dunlop, Dorothy D.; Harris, Crystal L.; Singer, Nora G.; Bradley, John D.; Silver, David; Jackson, Christopher G.; Lane, Nancy E.; Oddis, Chester V.; Wolfe, Fred; Lisse, Jeffrey; Furst, Daniel E.; Bingham, Clifton O.; Reda, Domenic J.; Moskowitz, Roland W.; Williams, H. James; Clegg, Daniel O. (4 June 2010).

  "Questions and Answers: NIH Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial Primary Study", Backgrounder,

 Vergés J, Castañeda-Hernández, G. On the bioavailability of oral chondroitin sulfate formulations: proposed criteria for bioequivalence studies. Proc. West. Pharmacol. Soc., 2004; 47: 50–53

 December 1954 Journal of Biological Chemistry 211(2):605-11 DOI:10.1016/S0021-9258(18)71150-2