Herbs & Supplements:
Mesoglycan

Supplement Forms / Alternate Names
  • Aortic GAGs, CSA, Chondroitin Polysulphate, Mucopolysaccharide, Chondroitin Sulfate A, GAGs, Aortic Glycosaminoglycans, Glycosaminoglycans
Principal Proposed Uses
  • Intermittent Claudication, Atherosclerosis, Vein Diseases
Other Proposed Uses
  • High Cholesterol, Hemorrhoids, Phlebitis, Kidney Stones, Interstitial Cystitis

Mesoglycan is a type of substance found in many tissues in the body, including the joints, intestines, and the lining of blood vessels. Chemically, mesoglycan is related to the blood-thinning drug heparin and the supplement chondroitin. Unlike chondroitin, mesoglycan is primarily used to treat diseases of blood vessels. Preliminary evidence suggests that mesoglycan may be helpful for atherosclerosis, varicose veins, phlebitis, and hemorrhoids.

Sources

Mesoglycan is not an essential nutrient because the body usually manufactures it from scratch. For supplement purposes, mesoglycan is commercially extracted from the intestines of pigs. Very similar substances can be produced from cartilage, bone, and the lining of large blood vessels, and are often used interchangeably.

Therapeutic Dosages

The usual dosage of mesoglycan is 100 mg daily.

Therapeutic Uses

Hardening of the arteries due to atherosclerosis is the major cause of heart disease and strokes. High cholesterol, hypertension, cigarette smoking, and other factors damage the inner lining of blood vessels, causing a series of dangerous changes.

Individuals with severe atherosclerosis sometimes develop blockage in the arteries of the legs. This limits the ability to walk by causing intense, crampy pain after walking a relatively short distance. There is some evidence that mesoglycan may help this condition.²⁰

Additional evidence suggests that mesoglycan may slow the development of atherosclerosis perhaps by lowering cholesterol levels, "thinning" the blood, or through other effects.^1,2,3

Mesoglycan may also be useful for various diseases of the veins, including varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and phlebitis.^4–8,19

Warning: Do not self-treat phlebitis. It is a potentially deadly disease.

Preliminary evidence suggests mesoglycan may be useful in treating kidney stones.⁹

Mesoglycan has also been proposed as a treatment for interstitial cystitis, but there is as yet no real evidence for this potential use.

What Is the Scientific Evidence for Mesoglycan?

Intermittent Claudication

A 20-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that enrolled 242 individuals evaluated the effects of mesoglycan (100 mg a day orally, after a short course of injected treatment) for treating intermittent claudication.²⁰ Significantly more participants in the mesoglycan group responded to treatment (defined as a greater than 50% improvement in walking distance) than in the placebo group.

Atherosclerosis in General

In a controlled study, one group of men with early hardening of the coronary (heart) arteries was given 200 mg daily of mesoglycan, while the other group received no treatment.¹⁰ After 18 months, the layering of the vessel lining was 7.5 times greater in the untreated group than in the mesoglycan group, a significant difference. However, because this was not a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, the results can't be taken as truly reliable. Additional preliminary evidence that mesoglycan might help atherosclerosis comes from other studies in animals and people.^11,12

We don' t know for certain how mesoglycan might help atherosclerosis. There is some evidence that it can reduce cholesterol levels and also "thin" the blood.¹³

Vein Diseases

Several Italian studies suggest that mesoglycan may be helpful in varicose veins, phlebitis, and hemorrhoids.^14–19  For example, in a double-blind placebo-controlled trial, 183 individuals with leg ulcers due to poor vein function were treated with either placebo or mesoglycan (first by injection and then orally) for 24 weeks.¹⁹ The results of this double-blind study suggest that mesoglycan significantly improved the rate at which the leg ulcers healed.

Safety Issues

Mesoglycan is essentially ground-up pig intestines and is believed to be safe, even if taken in large quantities. However, because mesoglycan appears to decrease blood clotting, it should not be combined with prescription blood thinners such as warfarin (Coumadin), clopidogrel (Plavix), ticlopidine (Ticlid), pentoxifylline (Trental), or heparin, or drugs in the aspirin family. Maximum safe dosages for young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease have not been determined.

Interactions You Should Know About

If you are taking drugs that decrease blood clotting, such as warfarin (Coumadin),heparin, clopidogrel (Plavix), ticlopidine (Ticlid), pentoxifylline (Trental), or aspirin, do not use mesoglycan except under physician supervision.

Last reviewed April 2002 by Medical Review Board

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