Jutta Hugenberg’s scientific contributions

Objective Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common joint disorder in humans and dogs. Due to its chronic progressive nature, the predominant clinical signs after a certain point are pain and immobility. The similar pathogenesis allows conclusions to be drawn from canine to human OA. Current treatments are limited and often attempt to treat OA symptoms rather than improve joint structure and function. Collagen hydrolysates as oral supplements are a promising therapeutic option to achieve this advanced therapeutic aim in both species. The effects of oral supplementation were therefore investigated in canine OA patients. Method In a systematic, placebo-controlled, double-blind interventional study in 31 dogs with naturally occurring OA, the efficacy of oral supplementation of specific bioactive collagen peptides (BCP) was tested in comparison to the approved combination of the active substances omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. The dogs were examined on a horizontal treadmill with 4 integrated piezoelectric force plates at the beginning and end of a twelve-week test period. At both points, the owners completed a specific questionnaire containing the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory (CBPI) and the dogs were fitted with accelerometers to record total daily activity data. Results Only the oral supplementation of BCP resulted in a significant improvement of several kinetic parameters measured using a force-plate fitted treadmill, and the quality of life assessed by CBPI, while accelerometry was unaffected by the intervention. Conclusion The results of this three-month BCP supplementation study using objective measurement parameters in dogs with naturally occurring OA demonstrate an efficacy, suggesting the therapeutic use of BCP in canine OA patients and demonstrating the relevance of this collagen hydrolysate formulation for the treatment of OA in human patients as well.

Conservative therapy options in canine osteoarthritis (OA) are largely limited to pain relief, which can be associated with undesirable effects. Beneficial effects of a specific BCP have been demonstrated in equine OA patients and in in-vitro studies with canine chondrocytes based on an increase in cartilage matrix molecules and downregulating of inflammatory cytokines and degenerative matrix metalloproteases1,2. A positive impact of specific BCP on joint cartilage was also detected by magnetic resonance imaging3. In a double blinded, placebo-controlled field study, effects of a 12 wk supplementation with this specific BCP vs. n3-fatty acids plus vitamin E (n3FA) on the gait were investigated in dogs with OA. The assessment of pet owners on the quality of life (QoL) was evaluated using the validated Canine Brief Pain Inventory4 Score. Privately owned adult dogs (n = 31) previously diagnosed with OA were randomly allocated to group BCP (PETAGILE, GELITA, Germany), n3FA, or placebo (PLA). The supplements were dosed according to body weight (BW; ≥ 200 mg BCP or PLA/kg BW; ≥ 550mg n3FA + 2mg vitamin E/kg BW). Inclusion criteria were a BW between 10 and 60 kg and restricted use of anti-inflammatory medication or nutraceuticals. Initially and after 12 wk, the dogs were examined on a custom-made treadmill equipped with 4 modified Kistler pressure plates. Differences between the groups, time points as well as the affected and contralateral limbs were evaluated using a generalized linear model. The improvement in QoL was greater in BCP than n3FA and PLA. The treadmill, as more objective method5, showed a significant difference of vertical force (PVF), vertical impact and standing phase between affected and contralateral limbs in group BCP. The improvement of the applied pressure, measured as relative difference of PVF, was significantly better in BCP as in PLA. In the placebo group, all measured parameters tended to worsen whereas in group n3FA no systematic differences between both time points were detected. The results of this study demonstrate that oral administration of a specific BCP can slow down the progression and improve clinical signs after only 12 wk in canine OA patients. Therefore, this safe nutritional therapy option should be considered in dogs with OA. References:[1] Dobenecker, B., Reese, S., Jahn, W. et al. (2018). J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr, 102, 16-23. [2] Schunck, M., Louton, H., & Oesser, S. (2017). J Anim Sci, 7, 254 [3] McAlindon, T. E., Nuite, M., Krishnan, N. et al. (2011). 19(4), 399-405. [4] Brown et al. (2008). J Am Vet Med Assoc, 233(8), 1278-1283. [5] Brown et al. (2013) J Vet Int Med, 27(1), 22-30.