Intraarticular injection of polyglucosamine for knee OA

描述（由申请人提供）：骨关节炎（OA）是一种常见的致残性疾病，目前尚无良好的医学治疗方法。因此，许多患者服用葡萄糖胺（一种营养补充剂）来治疗OA症状，因为与传统的抗炎药物相比，葡萄糖胺的安全性更高。然而，口服葡萄糖胺在第一次代谢过程中被肝脏迅速代谢。可注射的聚氨基葡萄糖（PGA）是一种高粘性的葡萄糖胺缓释形式，它可能被证明是一种更有效的将葡萄糖胺递送到关节的方式。这个拟议的I期SBIR的总体目标是确定关节内注射PGA是否可以防止兔OA模型的早期关节损伤。提出的具体目标包括：(1)使用Hulth技术的改进，对14只2 Kg的NZW兔子进行膝关节手术不稳定。(2) PGA治疗组和对照组（n=7）每周分别向不稳定膝关节内注射PGA或生理盐水5次，并再维持7周。(3)使用形态学、组织学和生化评估盲法检查病变程度。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common disabling disorder for which no good medical remedy currently exists. As a result, many patients take Glucosamine, a nutritional supplement, for the treatment of their OA symptoms, because of its high level of safety compared to traditional anti-inflammatory medications. However, oral glucosamine is promptly metabolized by the liver during first-pass metabolism. Injectable polyglucosamine (PGA) is a highly viscous sustained-release form of glucosamine which may prove a more efficient modality for delivering glucosamine to the joint. The overall goal of this proposed Phase I SBIR is to determine if intraarticular injections of PGA protect against the early stages of joint damage in a rabbit model of OA. The proposed specific aims include: (1) Create a surgical instability of the knee in 14 2 Kg NZW rabbits using a modification of the Hulth technique. (2) Administer the PGA-treated and control groups (n=7 each) 5 weekly injections of PGA or saline respectively into the unstable knee, and maintain the animals for an additional 7 weeks. (3) Examine the extent of lesions in a blind fashion using morphological, histological and biochemical evaluations.