Anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects of chondroitin sulfate

Biological ageing is a process that changes living systems over time, causing impairments in their structure and function. Studying the individual biomarkers of ageing is regarded as the most plausible current theory of age-related inflammatory processes (inflammageing). According to this theory, slightly pronounced chronic aseptic inflammation develops during ageing, which is the basis for the pathogenesis of age-related syndromes and diseases. A key role in implementing different cellular interactions and in regulating the type of an inflammatory response is assigned to the cytokine status (nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6) in an elderly patient with age-related diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM), developed in the altered background. Anti-inflammatory drugs include chondroitin sulfate (CS) that, in addition to directly affecting the severity of pain syndrome in OA, also has a modulating effect on the level of systemic inflammation. Pharmaceutical CS plays an important role in tissue remodeling, cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, apoptosis, activation and deactivation of chemokines and cytokines, by increasing the synthesis of hyaluronic acid and proteoglycans, by suppressing the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), IL-1, and IL-6 and the expression of cytokines and NF-κB. CS belongs to anti-aging drugs.

[Chronic pain in patients older than 60 years: a view of the geriatrics]

AIM

To analyze the geriatric status of patients with chronic pain.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

One hundred and sixteen patients of a geriatric unit, aged 75.66±7.98 years (110 women, 94.8%), were studied. All patients underwent general clinical examination and complex geriatric assessment, on the results of which geriatric syndromes were identified. Characteristics of pain syndrome (cause, intensity, localization) are described.

RESULTS

Chronic pain syndrome is identified in 85 (73.3%) patients. Most often pain is localized in large joints (n=44 (51.76%)) and back (n=50 (58.8%)). The intensity of pain was higher in patients with moderate dependence in daily activities compared to those with mild dependence (p<0.05). Pain intensity is associated with the degree of impairment of physical functioning (p<0.05). Patients with chronic pain have more geriatric symptoms (6.8±2.8). More syndromes (9.11±2.37) are identified in patients with marked impairment of physical functioning. The reduction of muscle strength is observed in 45.9% patients with- and 9.7% patients without chronic pain syndrome. The velocity of pace is 0.59 m/s and 0.71 m/s, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of chronic pain in patients of a geriatric unit is shown. The intensity of pain iss higher in patients with moderate dependence in daily activities compared to those with mild dependence. Pain intensity increases with the reduction of patient's physical functioning. Patients with chronic pain more often have dynapenia and significantly lower velocity of pace that indicates the poor outcome in elderly patients.