title: Glucosamine sulfate suppresses the expressions of urokinase plasminogen activator and inhibitor and gelatinases during the early stage of osteoarthritis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Glucosamine sulfate may have an ex vivo inhibitory effect on the plasminogen activator (PA)/plasmin system and gelatinases expression during the early development of osteoarthritis (OA).
  
  
  METHODS
  We compared the levels of urokinase-type PA (u-PA), PA inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and gelatinases (matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 [MMP-2 and -9]) in a series of chondral, meniscal, and synovial cultures of early OA after treatment with or without glucosamine sulfate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Gelatin zymography revealed that glucosamine sulfate could suppress MMP-2 secretion in chondral, meniscal and synovial cultures and also decrease MMP-9 production in synovial and meniscal cultures. ELISA data also showed the suppressive effects of glucosamine sulfate on u-PA and PAI-1 production in synovial cultures at 48 h.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that one of the therapeutic effects of glucosamine sulfate is to down-regulate the expressions of u-PA, PAI-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 that underlie the destruction of articular cartilage in the early stage of OA, and therefore to delay the joint failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung 406, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Shu-Chen
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Shun-Fa
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ko-Huang
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lue
authors.forename: Yih-Shou
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Ching-Yi
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Ming-Chih
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Ko-Hsiu
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018093:Gelatinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D005944:Glucosamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000201:enzymology*; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D014568:Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator; D018093:Gelatinases; D005944:Glucosamine