Drugs against articular failure

Abstract

The object of the present invention is to provide a composition which exerts a higher effect on recovering health from articular disorders than that attained by amino sugars and glycosaminoglycans. The present invention solves the object by providing an agent for treating articular disorders, comprising an amino sugar and trehalose as effective ingredients.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a novel agent for treating articular disorders, more particularly, to the agent which comprises an amino sugar and trehalose as effective ingredients.[0002] Articulations in mammals including humans are mechanically stimulated during their physical activities and exposed to risks such as inflammation and physical destruction. Examples of factors of causing disorders in articulations (hereinafter, briefly called "articular disorders") are infections, injuries, allergies, metabolic disorders, corpulences, and blood circulation disorders. It has been pointed out that the crisis rate of articular disorders increases as aging, and articular disorders are becoming to be a social problem in this aging society.[0003] As articular disorders generally accompany inflammations, they are treated with anti-inflammatories in many cases. However, treatments thereof can be only effective for temporarily suppressing some symptoms accompanied by articular disord...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0012] The proportion of trehalose and an amino sugar(s) in the agent for treating articular disorders of the present invention is not restricted to a specific ratio as long as the agent exerts an effect of solving the object of the present invention. For example, from a view point of remarkably enhancing the activity of amino sugars for treating articular disorders by adding trehalose thereto, it is preferable to use trehalose in a weight ratio of at least one forth to the amino sugar(s) on a dry solid basis (d.s.b.). The term "d.s.b." as referred to as in the present invention means the weight of a material after evaporating water, contained as the free and bound water, from the material. Some amino sugars may give some people a somewhat strange flavor and taste, or even an undesirable taste when taken orally. As trehalose can improve such a strange flavor and taste and an undesirable taste, the agent for treating articular disorders should more preferably contain trehalose as much as possible when used orally. In order to obtain a satisfactory flavor and taste and to exert remarkable activity for treating articular disorders with an amount as low as possible, the agent for treating articular disorders should preferably contain trehalose, usually, in a weight ratio of at most 50-folds, desirably, 20-folds to an amino sugar(s), d.s.b. Amino sugars in general have the defect in their expensiveness in comparison with other food materials such as saccharides for personal daily use. In the agent for treating articular disorders of the present invention, the activity for treating articular disorders inherent to amino sugars will be enhanced, the amount of amino sugars to obtain the desired effect is more reduced than in the sole use of amino sugars. Therefore, the agent for treating articular disorders of the present invention has the advantage that it exerts the desired activity and is provided at a lower cost than a composition comprising an amino sugar(s) without trehalose.

[0038] An animal experiment using rats similarly as in Experiment 1 was carried out by using mannosamine and N-acetylmannosamine instead of glucosamine and N-acetylglucosamine, and keratan sulfate instead of chondroitin 4-sulfate, resulting in a similar result as in Experiment 1. The result indicates that trehalose enhances the alleviation effect of amino sugars on arthritis, and the effect of trehalose is more enhanced when used with a glycosaminoglycan. In accordance with Experiment 1, another animal experiment using glucose, maltose, sorbitol, maltitol, or neotrehalose instead of trehalose was carried out. There was found no enhanced effect by the saccharides other than trehalose on the alleviation effect of amino sugars on arthritis as found in trehalose. The result indicates that the enhancement of the alleviation effect of amino sugars on arthritis is not exerted by saccharides in general but specific to trehalose.

Problems solved by technology

Articulations in mammals including humans are mechanically stimulated during their physical activities and exposed to risks such as inflammation and physical destruction.

It has been pointed out that the crisis rate of articular disorders increases as aging, and articular disorders are becoming to be a social problem in this aging society.

However, treatments thereof can be only effective for temporarily suppressing some symptoms accompanied by articular disorders such as pains and swellings.