SAT0547 Chondroprotective Activity of Acti-Joint®, A Combination of Chondroitin Sulphate, Glucosamine and A Natural Ingredient Rich in Hyaluronic Acid
Authors: A. Torrent, E. Montell, J. Vergés, R. Ruhí, S. Meilin, H. Sonego, P. Mainil-Varlet
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2014)

<h3>Background</h3> Osteoarthritis (OA) is a significant worldwide health problem owing to the progressive and debilitating nature of the condition, which results in high morbidity and a marked decrease in the quality of life. OA involves the progressive degeneration of articular cartilage with a remodeling of subchondral bone and synovitis. <h3>Objectives</h3> The objective is to evaluate the potential anti-arthritic activity of Acti-Joint®, a formulation that includes CS Bioactive ® (Chondroitin Sulfate 100% purity), Glucosamine (GLU) and Hyal-Joint® a natural ingredient rich in sodium hyaluronate in an <i>in vitro</i> chondrocyte model and in the collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model in rats. <h3>Methods</h3> An <i>in vitro</i> study was performed using human osteoarthritic chondrocytes cultured in alginate (n=3) in order to evaluate the potential chondroprotective activity of Acti-Joint®. Effects on degradation of the extracellular matrix were determined by measuring metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) and metalloproteinase-13 (MMP-13) activities by ELISA (R&amp;D kits). The synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) was measured in chondrocytes by determining the incorporation of [<sup>35</sup>S]sulfate into cetylpyridiniumchloride-precipitable (CPC) GAGs by liquid scintillation analysis. The anti-arthritic activity was investigated in the CIA model in rats. Female rats with developing type II collagen arthritis (n=11) were treated orally once daily with distilled water (Vehicle group) or Acti-Joint® (160 mg/kg) starting 10 days prior to disease induction through the end of the study (day 35). Dexamethasone, the positive control group, was administered once daily starting at day 0. The arthritic clinical score for each animal was examined starting at day 7. A clinical score was given to each individual paw and was based on 0-4 scale. The sum of all paws was calculated for each animal. In addition, a cytokine analysis on the left hind joint was performed: IL-6 and TNFα gene expression. <h3>Results</h3> The <i>in vitro</i> assays showed that Acti-Joint® leads to a statistically significant reduction of MMP-1 and MMP-13 activities (p&lt;0.05) and also a stimulation of the synthesis of GAGs compared to the Control. Acti-Joint® showed better efficacy than the standard combination GLU + CS, being CS of a lower quality and uncertain traceability. In the experimental conditions of the <i>in vivo</i> study, we found that this formulation reduced about 10% the clinical score after 3 weeks of the arthritis induction. This was accompanied by a significant reduction of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 (74%) and TNFα (70%) levels compared to Vehicle group. <h3>Conclusions</h3> The present study indicates that Acti-Joint® has chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory activities. Thus, this natural combination may be useful as a nutritional supplement for osteoarthritis treatment. <h3>Disclosure of Interest</h3> A. Torrent Employee of: BIOIBERICA, E. Montell Employee of: BIOIBERICA S.A., J. Vergés Employee of: BIOIBERICA S.A., R. Ruhí Employee of: BIOIBERICA S.A., S. Meilin: None declared, H. Sonego: None declared, P. Mainil-Varlet: None declared <h3>DOI</h3> 10.1136/annrheumdis-2014-eular.4263