Chronic tubulointerstitial nephropathy induced by glucosamine: a case report and literature review.

Glucosamine is a glycosylated amine and a slow-acting symptomatic treatment for osteoarthritis. Some experimental animal studies have shown that glucosamine can cause apoptosis in kidney tubular and mesangial cells as well as overexpression of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and connective-tissue growth factor (CTGF), which are potent inducers of mesangial and interstitial tubulointerstitial fibrosis. We report the case of a 67-year-old patient who presented with non-proteinuric renal insufficiency and a reduction of the glomerularfiltration rate (GFR) from 86 to 46 mL/min within 3 months.