Assessment of safety and efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane on bone and knee joints in osteoarthritis animal model

Ezaki J, Hashimoto M, Hosokawa Y, Ishimi Y · Journal of Bone and Mineral Metabolism

Split result, honestly reported. MSM did NOT affect cartilage formation in growing rats. In the osteoarthritis model it decreased cartilage degeneration at the joint surface dose-dependently over 13 weeks. At 100-fold the human dose, body, liver and spleen weights fell significantly — organ atrophy.

Population

Growing male Wistar rats (cartilage formation) and STR/Ort mice, an accepted spontaneous osteoarthritis model (cartilage degradation)

Intervention

Dietary MSM at the human-equivalent dose (0.06 g/kg/day), 10-fold and 100-fold higher

Comparator

Control diet

Limitations

Rodent models only. Independent (Japanese National Institute of Health and Nutrition), which is unusual in this literature and worth weighting accordingly.