Glucosamine is composed of glucose (a sugar) and glutamine (an amino acid). It is used by chondrocytes to form glycosaminoglycans (GSG) and proteoglycans (PG). Both of these constituents attract and bind water into cartilage, increasing resiliency.

MSM contains a lot of sulfur – 34% by weight. Sulfur is significant in joint health. MSM is thought to deliver sulfur to the body in a useable way. Sulfur helps maintain the structure of connective tissue by forming cross-linkages through disulfide bonds, for example, sulfur strengthens the tissues that make up the joint.

Research indicates that glucosamine may help your body repair damaged or eroded cartilage. A number of studies have been conducted on glucosamine sulfate and glucosamine hydrochloride, with a majority of positive results. Glucosamine sulfate is considered the more effective of the two.
One study from the University of Liege in Liege, Belgium studied the effects of glucosamine sulfate on 212 patients with knee osteoarthritis. Participants were given either 1,500 mg glucosamine or a placebo once daily for three years. The study compared joint-space width at enrollment, one year, and at the study’s conclusion. The 106 patients on placebo had a progressive joint-space narrowing, while participants taking glucosamine experienced no significant joint-space loss, indicating glucosamine may beneficially modify cartilage structure.
A study published in the journal Osteoarthritis and Cartilage in 1998 investigated the in vitro effects of glucosamine sulfate on proteoglycan and collagen making by chondrocytes taken from osteoarthritic articular cartilage. The results demonstrated “a statistically significant stimulation of PG production by chondrocytes from human osteoarthritic cartilage cultured for up to 12 days in 3-dimensional cultures.”
Another study from Italy enrolled eighty inpatients with established OA. They were given either 1,500 mg of glucosamine sulfate or placebo daily for 30 days. The patients given with glucosamine sulfate experienced a reduction in symptoms almost twice as large and twice as fast as those receiving placebo. Researchers also used electron microscopy of patient’s articular cartilage to support this hypothesis. Patients who received glucosamine sulfate showed a picture more similar to healthy cartilage. The researchers concluded that glucosamine sulfate tends to rebuild damaged articular cartilage and restore articular function.

Chondroitin is classified as a glycosaminoglycan. It bonds with collagen to form the basis of connective tissue. Chondroitin helps attract fluid into proteoglycans, thereby bringing nutrients into cartilage and providing shock absorption.