Glucosamine hydrochloride is a natural product, an amino sugar that plays an essential role in the process of biosynthesis of glycosylated lipids and proteins. It is also a key constituent of glycosaminoglycans which are the most important components in the matrix of molecules in vertebrate connective tissues.

Glucosamine in the human body is available as:

• glucosamine hydrochloride
• glucosamine sulfate
• crystalline glucosamine sulfate

and is present in high amounts in articular cartilage, intervertebral disc and synovial fluid (1).

Glucosamine can also be extracted from the chitosan and chitin exoskeleton of crustaceans such as shellfish and can be stabilized as a salt, glucosamine hydrochloride or glucosamine sulfate for oral administration. It has been used for many years in the treatment for osteoarthritis (OA). In Europe, it is a registered drug approved for the treatment of OA (primarily for its symptomatic and slow-acting effect in promoting cartilage and joint health). It has been qualified as an over-the-counter dietary supplement by the US Food and Drug Administration (2).

The treatment of glucosamine hydrochloride tablets in patients with cervical spondylosis can achieve ideal results, improve overall treatment efficiency, and, therefore, has important application significance (3).

The results of this study indicated that glucosamine hydrochloride effectively protected erythrocytes from free radicals and could be recommended as a pharmaceutical supplement to alleviate oxidative stress (4).

Renal fibrosis is a common consequence of unilateral ureteral obstruction, providing a useful model to investigate the pathogenesis of obstructive nephropathy and progressive renal fibrosis. Glucosamine hydrochloride would be a promising agent for therapeutic intervention to prevent transforming growth factor beta-induced renal fibrosis in kidney disease (5).

The raw material for obtaining Glucosamine hydrochloride is chitin, which is extracted from shrimp shells by deproteinization, demineralization, and depigmentation (6).

Glucosamine hydrochloride studies

Molecular formula: C₆H₁₄ClNO₅    ¹³C₆H₁₃¹⁵NO₅ · HCl

Molecular Weight: 215.63 g/mol

CAS: 66-84-2

UNII 750W5330FY

EC Number: 200-638-1

DSSTox Substance ID: 

MDL number  MFCD00135831

PubChem Substance ID 329759240

Beilstein/REAXYS Number: 4157370

NACRES: NA.25

Synonims: 

• 2-Amino-2-deoxy-D-glucose hydrochloride
• 2-Amino-D-glucose
• D-Glucosamine HCl
• Cosamin
• Chitosamine hydrochloride

References_______________________________________________________________

(1) Hamerman D. The biology of osteoarthritis. N Engl J Med. 1989 May 18;320(20):1322-30. doi: 10.1056/NEJM198905183202006.

(2) Henrotin Y, Mobasheri A, Marty M. Is there any scientific evidence for the use of glucosamine in the management of human osteoarthritis? Arthritis Res Ther. 2012 Jan 30;14(1):201. doi: 10.1186/ar3657.

(3) Li Y, Liu X, Han J, Zhang J, Zhang L, Yu H. Clinical efficacy of glucosamine hydrochloride tablets in the treatment of cervical spondylosis. Pak J Pharm Sci. 2018 Jul;31(4(Special)):1617-1621.

(4) Jamialahmadi K, Arasteh O, Matbou Riahi M, Mehri S, Riahi-Zanjani B, Karimi G. Protective effects of glucosamine hydrochloride against free radical-induced erythrocytes damage. Environ Toxicol Pharmacol. 2014 Jul;38(1):212-9. doi: 10.1016/j.etap.2014.05.018. 

(5) Park J, Lee SY, Ooshima A, Yang KM, Kang JM, Kim YW, Kim SJ. Glucosamine hydrochloride exerts a protective effect against unilateral ureteral obstruction-induced renal fibrosis by attenuating TGF-β signaling. J Mol Med (Berl). 2013 Nov;91(11):1273-84. doi: 10.1007/s00109-013-1086-1. 

(6) Benavente, Martha & Arias, Selene & Moreno, Luis & Martínez, Joaquín. (2015). Production of Glucosamine Hydrochloride from Crustacean Shell. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology. 3. 20-26. 10.17265/2328-2150/2015.01.003.