Prophylactic treatment of canine osteoarthritis with glycosaminoglycan polysulfuric acid ester

The prophylactic effect of glycosaminoglycan polysulfuric acid ester (GAGPS) on cartilage lesions was studied using the Pond‐Nuki model of canine osteoarthritis. Starting 2 days after anterior cruciate transection, GAGPS or saline was administered intraarticularly twice weekly for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, gross and histologic medial femoral condylar lesions had developed to a lesser degree in GAGPS‐treated dogs than in saline‐treated dogs. The uronic acid and hydroxyproline levels in cartilage were significantly higher in the GAGPS‐treated dogs than in the saline‐treated dogs. Levels of active and latent collagenase in the cartilage of GAGPS‐treated dogs were lower than in the cartilage of saline‐treated dogs. With GAGPS treatment, swelling of the cartilage, an indicator of collagen network integrity, remained near control levels. Although increased synthesis of proteoglycan and collagen may account for some of these results, we propose that one mechanism of action of GAGPS is its ability to decrease collagen degradation, either by decreasing the synthesis of collagenase or by directly inhibiting the production of collagenase in cartilage.