Study4 (Salmon Proteoglycan)

Efficacy of proteoglycan derived from salmon nasal cartilage on knee discomfort in healthy volunteers —A randomized, double—blind, placebo—controlled intergroup trial—

Yuji Kuriyama, Yasushi Yoshida
Department of General Medicine, Juntendo University School of Medicine

Abstract

Objectives This trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of proteoglycan derived from salmon nasal cartilage on discomfort in the knee joints in healthy individuals.
Methods In a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled intergroup trial, the subjects were randomly allocated to receive a 10mg/day of proteoglycan or placebo for 16 weeks. The primary outcomes were scores on JKOM and VAS at five conditions. The secondary outcomes were scores on 10-time-repeated exercise tests and the levels of biomarker sCPII, uCTX-II, and sC1,2C. The subjects were confirmed whether to have arthritis by biomarker testing.
Results A total of 75 subjects was enrolled in the trial. The proteoglycan group showed a significant difference in the changes from week 0 to week 16 in the VAS score at walking as compared with the placebo group (P<0.000). In hierarchical analyses in the >50-year-old population, Proteoglycan showed effectiveness in the scores on VAS at going up and down stairs (P<0.039 for the week 16 score and P<0.035 for the changes) and the squat score of 10-time-repeated exercise tests (P<0.002 for the change). The levels of biomarkers were decreased without showing significant between-group differences, and suggested that the subjects were healthy individuals.
Conclusions It is indicated that the intake of proteoglycan can ameliorate or prevent knee discomfort caused by walking in healthy individuals and by bending and stretching of the knee joints, such as using stairs and doing squat, in healthy individuals aged 50 years or older.
(UMIN ID: UMIN000041641)

Japanese Pharmacology & Therapeutics. 2021 49(11): 1925-1935