Effect of chondroitin sulphate in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis aggravated by chronic arthritis

Abstract

Background and purpose: Among the agents employed to manage osteoarthritis, chondroitin sulphate (CS) is a natural glycosaminoglycan with an anti-inflammatory effect on joint cells. CS might also influence the inflammatory component of atherosclerosis. Our aim was to examine the effect of CS administration on vascular injury and on markers of systemic inflammation in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis aggravated by systemic inflammation provoked by chronic antigen-induced arthritis. Experimental approach: Atherosclerosis was induced in rabbits by maintaining them on a hyperlipidaemic diet after producing an endothelial lesion in the femoral arteries. Simultaneously, chronic arthritis was induced in these animals by repeated intraarticular injections of ovalbumin in previously immunized rabbits. A group of these rabbits were treated prophylactically with CS (100 mg kg À1 day À1 ) and when the animals were killed, serum and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were isolated. Furthermore, femoral arteries and thoracic aorta were used for gene expression studies and histological examination. Key results: CS administration reduced the concentration of the proinflammatory molecules C-reactive protein and IL-6 in serum. Likewise, CS inhibited the expression of CCL2/monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP)-1 and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 in PBMC, and reduced the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kB. In the femoral lesion, CS also diminished the expression of CCL2 and COX-2, as well as the ratio of the intima/media thickness. Moreover, CS decreased the percentage of rabbits with atherosclerosis and chronic arthritis that developed vascular lesions in the aorta. Conclusions and implications: These findings suggest that CS treatment may to some extent impede the progression of atherosclerosis.

Effect of a high dose of glucosamine on systemic and tissue inflammation in an experimental model of atherosclerosis aggravated by chronic arthritis

“…We recently showed that administering chondroitin sulfate (CS) to rabbits with AIA-AT reduced the concentration of inflammatory markers in serum and produced a clear improvement in the inflammatory content of femoral atherosclerotic lesions, as well as a decrease in the aortic lesions (14). GS and CS are saccharides with a different chemical composition, and, while GS is an amino monosaccharide, CS is a glycosaminoglycan formed by the polymerization of the glucuronic acid and galactosamine dissacharides with different sulfation sites.…”

Anti-inflammatory activity of chondroitin sulphate: new functions from an old natural macromolecule

“…In another recent study (Herrero-Beaumont et al 2008), CS administration reduced the concentration of the proinflammatory molecules, C-reactive protein (CRP) and IL-6, and the nuclear translocation of NF-jB in a rabbit model of atherosclerosis aggravated by chronic arthritis (Herrero-Beaumont et al 2008). Moreover, CS decreased the percentage of rabbits with atherosclerosis and chronic arthritis, which developed vascular lesions in the aorta.…”

Effect of Nonanimal High- and Low-Molecular-Mass Chondroitin Sulfates Produced by a Biotechnological Process in an Animal Model of Polyarthritis

“…However, to date, no biological activity has ever been tested and confirmed for these nonextractive polysaccharides. In this study, we report the effect of two different nonanimal CSs produced using a patented biotechnological process in adjuvant arthritis (AAR), an animal model of polyarthritis (OA and rheumatoid arthritis) widely used for preclinical tests [15,16] and previously adopted to evaluate the activity of a pharmaceutical-grade CS of extractive origin [17]. …”