Background

• As a dietary supplement, bovine cartilage is usually made from the tracheal (windpipe) cartilage of bovines. The dietary supplement VitaCarte® is the commercially available preparation of Catrix®, an experimental powdered preparation that is taken in capsules.
• The foremost researcher on the medicinal use of bovine cartilage was the late John F. Prudden, MD, who published the 1974 paper "The Acceleration of Wound Healing with Cartilage. I."
• Early evidence suggests that Catrix® may be beneficial for psoriasis and treatment-resistant breast cancer. However, there are scant scientific data available on the medical use of bovine cartilage. Additional research is needed to determine its safety and effectiveness.
• Bovine cartilage has also been suggested as a potential treatment for acne, alveoalgia, anal fissure, hemorrhoids, osteoarthritis, pruritus ani (irritated skin around the anus), rash from poison oak or poison ivy, and rheumatoid arthritis. According to secondary sources, bovine cartilage may have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating actions. However, human research in these areas is lacking.
• The commercial preparation Catrix® Wound Dressing was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1998, but it is not marketed in the United States. However, there is American availability of dermatologic preparations that contain the same powdered preparation of bovine cartilage as Catrix® Wound Dressing: Catrix® 10 Ointment, Catrix® 5 Rejuvenation Cream, and Catrix® Lipcare.
• The FDA does not list bovine cartilage on its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list.

References

• Berg, P. A., Durk, H., Saal, J., and Hopf, G. Bovine cartilage and marrow extract. Lancet 6-3-1989;1(8649):1275.
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• Durie, B. G., Soehnlen, B., and Prudden, J. F. Antitumor activity of bovine cartilage extract (Catrix-S) in the human tumor stem cell assay. J.Biol.Response Mod. 1985;4(6):590-595.
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• Durk, H., Haase, K., Saal, J., Becker, W., and Berg, P. A. Nephrotic syndrome after injections of bovine cartilage and marrow extract. Lancet 3-18-1989;1(8638):614.
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• Klein, R., Becker, E. W., Berg, P. A., and Bernau, A. Immunomodulatory properties of rumalon, a glycosaminoglycan peptide complex, in patients with osteoarthritis: activation of T helper cell type 2 cytokines and antigen-specific IgG4 antigen-specific igG4 antibodies. J.Rheumatol. 2000;27(2):448-454.
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• Liu, N., Lapcevich, R. K., Underhill, C. B., Han, Z., Gao, F., Swartz, G., Plum, S. M., Zhang, L., and Green, S. J. Metastatin: a hyaluronan-binding complex from cartilage that inhibits tumor growth. Cancer Res 2-1-2001;61(3):1022-1028.
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• Prudden, J. F. The treatment of human cancer with agents prepared from bovine cartilage. J.Biol.Response Mod. 1985;4(6):551-584.
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• Prudden, J. F. and Balassa, L. L. The biological activity of bovine cartilage preparations. Clinical demonstration of their potent anti-inflammatory capacity with supplementary notes on certain relevant fundamental supportive studies. Semin.Arthritis Rheum. 1974;3(4):287-321.
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• Saikawa, I., Hotokebuchi, T., Miyahara, H., Tokito, T., Maeda, T., Arita, C., and Sugioka, Y. High-density proteoglycan induces specific suppression of adjuvant-induced arthritis in rats. Clin Exp Immunol 1994;95(3):424-429.
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• Shukunami, C., Oshima, Y., and Hiraki, Y. Chondromodulin-I and tenomodulin: a new class of tissue-specific angiogenesis inhibitors found in hypovascular connective tissues. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 7-29-2005;333(2):299-307.
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• Tanzi, E. L. and Perez, M. The effect of a mucopolysaccharide-cartilage complex healing ointment on Er:YAG laser resurfaced facial skin. Dermatol Surg 2002;28(4):305-308.
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• Schacht, E. and Roetz, R. Nephrotic syndrome after injections of bovine cartilage and marrow extract. Lancet 4-29-1989;1(8644):963.
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