Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
2487620 | Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences | 2007 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
Chondroitin sulfate is a very heterogeneous polysaccharide in terms of relative molecular mass, charge density, chemical properties, biological and pharmacological activities. It is actually recommended by EULAR as a symptomatic slow acting drug (SYSADOA) in Europe in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis based on metaâanalysis of numerous clinical studies. Chondroitin sulfate is also utilized as a nutraceutical in dietary supplements mainly in the United States. On the other hand, chondroitin sulfate is derived from animal sources by extraction and purification processes. As a consequence, source material, manufacturing processes, the presence of contaminants, and many other factors contribute to the overall biological and pharmacological actions of these agents. The aim of this review is to evaluate new possible more specific analytical approaches to the determination of the origin and purity of chondroitin sulfate preparations for pharmaceutical application and in nutraceuticals, such as the evaluation of the molecular mass values, the constituent disaccharides, and the specific and sensitive agaroseâgel electrophoresis technique. Furthermore, a critical evaluation is presented, together with a discussion of the limits of these analytical approaches. Finally, the necessity for reference standards having high specificity, purity and wellâknown physicoâchemical properties useful for accurate and reproducible quantitative analyses will be discussed. © 2007 WileyâLiss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 96: 3168-3180, 2007
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Authors
Nicola Volpi,