Shark Cartilage

Shark cartilage extract · AE-941 · Neovastat

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Psoriasis¹ Advanced cancer^2–4 Renal cell carcinoma^5–7 Advanced non-small cell lung cancer^{8, 9} Kaposi sarcoma¹⁰	Fish (shark) allergy¹¹ Pregnancy or nursing¹¹

Shark cartilage, from spiny dogfish and hammerhead sharks, is taken for antiangiogenic activity, the inhibition of new blood vessel growth, seen in test-tube and animal studies¹⁰. It is promoted mainly to patients with cancer or arthritis, and for psoriasis¹⁰.

Human research is limited to about eight small trials, mostly in advanced cancer, with others in psoriasis and healthy volunteers. A placebo-controlled trial in breast and colorectal cancer found no survival or quality-of-life benefit from a shark cartilage product². Adding the extract AE-941 to chemoradiotherapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer did not improve overall survival in a randomized trial⁸. In a randomized dose-comparison trial in plaque psoriasis, symptom scores improved as the AE-941 dose rose¹. A 2025 qualitative review of online alopecia misinformation listed shark cartilage among unfounded remedies, and no trial has tested it for hair loss. Many products listing shark cartilage are on the market, mostly capsules and powders, and some are mainly fillers¹⁰; see Form comparison.

The main reason for caution in cancer patients is hypercalcemia, as a case series reported shark cartilage among supplements that may have contributed to it¹². Health Canada labels ask for a practitioner's advice before use in pregnancy or breastfeeding¹³.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

34 sources, 25 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources