Glucosamine activates autophagy in vitro and in vivo
Beatriz Caramés Arthritis & Rheumatism 2013 Accepted Article
Aging-associated changes in articular cartilage represent a main Osteoarthritis (OA) risk factor. Autophagy is an essential cellular homeostasis mechanism. Aging-associated or experimental defects in autophagy contribute to organismal and tissue specific aging while enhancement of autophagy may protect against certain aging related pathologies such as OA. The objective of this study was to determine whether glucosamine (GlcN) could activate autophagy.
Methods.
Chondrocytes from normal human articular cartilage were treated with GlcN (0.1-10 mM). Autophagy activation and phosphorylation levels of Akt, FoxO3 and ribosomal protein S6 (prbS6) were determined by Western blotting. Autophagosome formation was analyzed by microscopy. Transgenic reporter mice with green fluorescent protein fused to LC3 (GFP-LC3 mice) were used to test changes in autophagy in response to starvation and GlcN administration.
Results.
GlcN treatment of chondrocytes activated autophagy as indicated by increased of LC3-II levels, formation of LC3 puncta and increased LC3 turnover. This was associated with GlcN-mediated inhibition of Akt, FoxO3 and mTOR pathway. Administration of GlcN to GFP-LC3 mice markedly activated autophagy in articular cartilage.
Conclusions.
GlcN modulates molecular targets of the autophagy pathway in vitro and in vivo and the enhancement of autophagy was mainly dependent on the Akt/FoxO and mTOR pathway. These findings suggest that GlcN is an effective autophagy activator and motivate future studies on its efficacy in modifying aging-related cellular changes and supporting joint health.