The effect of exogenous glucosamine hydrochloride on the proteoglycan concentration of the articular disc of the rabbit temporomandibular joint.
OBJECTIVE
To test the effect of glucosamine hydrochloride (glucosamine-HCl) on the proteoglycan (PG) concentration of the articular disc of non-arthritic temporomandibular joints (TMJs) in rabbits.


METHODS
Twenty-four of 48 New Zealand white 10- to 12-week-old male rabbits (2.2 kg average) were injected with the irritant chymopapain in the knee joint. Both groups of 24 rabbits were divided into 3 groups of 8 animals. The rabbits were fed a control diet or a diet supplemented with glucosamine-HCl incorporated at a level to provide 20 mg/kg (approximating the recommended dose 500 mg/tid/70 kg man) or 100 mg/kg, for 8 weeks. Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were assayed in protease K digests of the TMJ articular disc by dimethylmethylene blue method to quantify PG concentration. The groups were compared with 2-way analysis of variance.


RESULTS
Glucosamine-HCl did not cause a significant change in the PG concentration of the TMJ articular disc (P > .8). There was also no detectable effect of chymopapain injection to the knee joint on the TMJ (P > .07) and no interaction between glucosamine-HCl treatment and chymopapain injection (P > .3).


CONCLUSIONS
Glucosamine-HCl has no effect on PG concentration of the articular disc of non-arthritic TMJ in rabbits.
Deniz
Meltem
M
Department of Diagnostic and Surgical Sciences, Division of TMJ and Orofacial Pain, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. melt0023@umn.edu
Oegema
Theodore R
TR
Schiffman
Eric L
EL
Look
John O
JO
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011817:Rabbits; D019224:Temporomandibular Joint Disc / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D011509:Proteoglycans; D005944:Glucosamine