Glucosamine isan essential raw nutritional supplement that is widely used in the fields of health products and joint health care. It is a compound composed of glucose and amino acids, and its molecular structure is similar to the natural glucosamine found in human joint tissue.
►Forms of Existence
Glucosamine is widely found in the cell walls of fungi and the exoskeleton of shrimp and crabs and is a component of chitin and chitosan. In nature, GlcN is also widely found in bacteria, yeast, fungi, plants, and animals.GlcN is also a significant component of glycoproteins and proteoglycans, which play an essential role in articular cartilage tissues of humans and animals and are present in large quantities in the lens of the human eye.
►Preparation Method
There are three main methods for producing GlcN: acid hydrolysis, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation.
The raw materials for producing the first two methods come from the exoskeleton of shrimp and crab, i.e., chitin and chitosan are extracted from shrimp and crab shells. Then acid hydrolysis or enzymatic hydrolysis is used to obtain GlcN.
High concentration of hydrochloric acid can degrade chitin and chitosan in shrimp and crab shells to GlcN under certain reaction conditions, but because a large amount of concentrated hydrochloric acid will bring serious environmental problems, it will be gradually restricted by relevant national policies,
The enzymatic method utilizes chitosanase to degrade shrimp and crab shells, and the biggest problem it faces now is the low production efficiency, manifested in the higher price of chitosanase, longer conversion time, and higher production cost. Moreover, GlcN derived from shrimp and crab shells can cause allergic reactions in allergic patients during clinical application. Therefore, researchers are increasingly paying attention to the production of GlcN through microbial fermentation.
Compared with acid hydrolysis and enzymatic hydrolysis, microbial fermentation for GlcN production has the following advantages: elimination of the restriction of raw material sources by geographical seasons, no fishy odor of the product, short production cycle and high intensity; less pollution to the environment; no allergic reaction, etc.
►Areas of application
• Immunomodulatory Aspects
Glucosamine participates in sugar metabolism in the body, is widely available, and is quite closely related to humans and animals. Glucosamine protects the body by combining with other substances, such as galactose and glucuronic acid, to form hyaluronic acid, keratin sulfate, and other essential products with biological activity.
• Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Glucosamine is an essential nutrient in forming human chondrocytes, the primary substance for synthesizing aminoglycans, and a natural tissue component of healthy joint cartilage. As we age, the deficiency of glucosamine in the body becomes more and more serious, and the joint cartilage continues to deteriorate and wear out. Numerous medical studies in the United States, Europe, and Japan have shown that glucosamine can help repair and maintain cartilage and stimulate the growth of chondrocytes.
• Antioxidant, Anti-aging
Some scholars studied the antioxidant capacity of chitosan and its protective effect on CCl4-induced liver injury in mice, and the results showed that chitosan has an antioxidant capacity and a more obvious protective effect on CCl4-induced liver injury in mice. Still, it can not alleviate the oxidative damage of DNA. Another study on the ameliorative effect of glucosamine on CCl4-induced liver injury in mice showed that glucosamine could improve the activity of the main antioxidant enzymes in the liver of experimental mice. At the same time, it reduced the content of AST, ALT, and malondialdehyde (MDA), which indicated that glucosamine had a specific antioxidant capacity. Still, it could not reduce the oxidative damage of DNA in mice by CCl4. Some scholars have investigated glucosamine's antioxidant properties and ability to activate immune responses by various in vivo and ex vivo methods. The results showed that glucosamine could chelate Fe2+ extremely well and, at the same time, protect lipid macromolecules from oxidative damage by hydroxyl radicals and have antioxidant capacity.
• Anti-corrosion and Antibacterial Aspects
Some scholars chose 21 common food spoilage bacteria as experimental strains and studied the antibacterial effect of glucosamine hydrochloride on these 21 bacteria. The results showed that glucosamine has a pronounced antibacterial impact on 21 kinds of common bacteria in food, and glucosamine hydrochloride has the most apparent antibacterial effect on bacteria. As the concentration of glucosamine hydrochloride increased, the antibacterial impact gradually became more robust.
As a critical joint health ingredient, glucosamine has been fully verified in scientific research and has achieved remarkable results in practical applications. We can better care for our joint health through scientific and reasonable supplementation and enjoy a more active and comfortable life.
