Chondroitin Sulfate

Category: metabolite

Aliases: Chondroitin 4-sulfate, CS

Pharmacological Mechanism

Sulfated GAG of alternating glucuronic acid + N-acetylgalactosamine. Major cartilage matrix component. Oral CS → small fragments absorbed (~10% F) → proposed to accumulate in synovium + inhibit IL-1β-driven MMP + aggrecanase activity. Modest symptomatic OA benefit in meta-analyses; structural disease modification debatable. EU Rx in some countries.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 15h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 933 mg (Range: 800–1200 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• musculoskeletal
• immune-hematologic

Interactions

• Glucosamine (synergistic): Canonical pairing in most OA clinical trials (GAIT).

Pathways It Modulates

• Bile acid synthesis (substrate) — GAG building block

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 24766
• Formula: C13H21NO15S
• Molecular weight: 463.37 g/mol
• InChIKey: KXKPYJOVDUMHGS-OSRGNVMNSA-N
• SMILES: CC(=O)N[C@@H]1[C@H]([C@H]([C@H](O[C@H]1O)OS(=O)(=O)O)O)O[C@H]2[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](O2)C(=O)O)O)O)O

References

• PMID 12359162