Benefits
Joint comfort and function at 600 mg a day
In a 12-week double-blind pilot trial in 60 overweight adults with moderate knee osteoarthritis, 600 mg a day raised Tegner Lysholm knee function scores about 10.6 points more than placebo and lowered WOMAC scores about 12.2 points more. An 8-week trial by the same group in 48 obese adults found WOMAC scores about 22 points better than placebo, partly because placebo scores worsened. Both trials were small and maker-funded.
CRP and ESR inflammation markers
In a 12-week trial, the blood inflammation markers CRP and ESR fell more than with placebo (by 0.14 mg/dL and 5.01 mm/h). In an 8-week trial in 48 obese adults, CRP fell about 0.40 mg/dL more than with placebo, though not in an analysis adjusted for age and starting body mass index, and IL-1 beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha did not differ. Both trials were small and maker-funded.
Studied at 600 mg a day, below usual chondroitin doses
Both trials used 600 mg a day, which the first trial's authors describe as lower than usual for chondroitin. In a single-dose absorption study in healthy men, run with Gnosis staff, blood chondroitin levels were about 44% higher over 24 hours than with animal chondroitin, which the authors link to its lower molecular weight. No head-to-head joint trial against animal chondroitin has been published.
Animal-free chondroitin for vegetarian and vegan diets
MyCondro is chondroitin sulfate made by fermentation rather than extracted from animal cartilage, which suits people who avoid animal products and those concerned about bovine or shark cartilage sourcing. This is a sourcing attribute, not a demonstrated health benefit.
EU novel food authorization (regulatory status, not a health benefit)
On 24 November 2017 the Dutch Minister for Medical Care issued the official notice under the EU novel food regulation (EC) No 258/97 that opened the whole EU market to this chondroitin, then sold as Mythocondro. This is a regulatory status, not a demonstrated health benefit.
Mechanism of action
Non-animal fermentation-based production
E. coli O5:K4:H4 strain U1-41 (ATCC23502, non-genetically-modified) naturally produces a capsular polysaccharide structurally similar to chondroitin's non-sulfated backbone. Thermo-acid hydrolysis releases the polysaccharide; chemical sulfation produces the final ichthyic-pattern chondroitin sulfate. The final product contains no live bacteria and no animal-derived material. The trial paper states that the final endotoxin content is checked with a standard LAL test.
Lower molecular weight than animal chondroitin
MyCondro has a lower molecular weight (1,000 to 5,000 daltons) than chondroitin extracted from animal tissue. In a single-dose study in healthy men, run with Gnosis staff, it gave higher and longer-lasting blood chondroitin levels than animal chondroitin, which the authors link to its lower molecular weight. Whether this changes joint outcomes has not been tested head to head.
Specific 6-sulfation pattern (ΔDi6S)
The sulfate groups sit mainly on the 6-carbon position of each sugar unit, with few or none on the 4-carbon position, a pattern very similar to fish chondroitin. The product has no trisulfated or polysulfated units and a molecular weight of 1,000 to 5,000 daltons, lower than chondroitin extracted from animal tissue. Whether this pattern changes how well it works has not been tested in people.
Cartilage matrix and anti-inflammatory effects
Chondroitin sulfate is a major part of cartilage proteoglycans and helps give joint fluid its cushioning properties. In laboratory studies, chondroitin is proposed to calm inflammation through the NF-κB and COX-2 pathways and to block cartilage-degrading enzymes (MMPs). This is the general chondroitin rationale, which applies to MyCondro because it is chemically chondroitin sulfate.
Clinical trials
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 12-week pilot trial of 600 mg a day of non-animal chondroitin sulfate (sold then as Mythocondro, now MyCondro) versus placebo, funded by Gnosis by Lesaffre, with a Gnosis employee among the authors (Rondanelli et al. 2019, Nutrients)
60 overweight, sedentary adults aged 55 and over with moderate symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (30 per group); all 60 completed the study.
Compared with placebo, knee function on the Tegner Lysholm scale rose 10.64 points and WOMAC scores fell 12.24 points; CRP fell 0.14 mg/dL and ESR 5.01 mm/h more than with placebo, and knee pain on a visual analogue scale improved in both knees. Fat-free mass rose within the chondroitin group, but not significantly more than with placebo. No side effects were reported. This is a small maker-funded pilot trial; a later trial by the same group is listed separately.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled 8-week trial of 600 mg a day of non-animal chondroitin sulfate (sold then as Mythocondro) versus placebo, with CRP also measured around two short cycling sessions. Supported by Gnosis by Lesaffre, with a Gnosis employee among the authors (Rondanelli et al. 2020, Antioxidants)
48 obese adults aged 20 to 50 (body mass index 30 to 35) with moderate knee osteoarthritis, 24 per group; body mass index differed between the groups at the start.
The main goal was inflammation markers. Compared with placebo, CRP fell about 0.40 mg/dL more and WOMAC scores were about 22 points better (they fell about 9 points on chondroitin and rose about 13 on placebo). IL-1 beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, carbonylated proteins and the other outcomes did not differ, and CRP after cycling did not differ. A CRP analysis adjusted for age and starting body mass index showed no treatment effect. No side effects were reported.