Isolation and characterization of undersulphated chondroitin-4-sulphate from normal human plasma.

The present study was undertaken in order to characterize further the glycosaminoglycans of normal human plasma. Coagulation factor IX concentrate prepared from undiluted plasma by DEAE-Sephadex chromatography was used as the starting material. The concentrate was subjected to proteolytic treatment with papain and pronase, deproteinised with trichloroacetic acid, dialysed and passed through an AG 1 X 2 anion-exchange column. Glycosaminoglycans were eluted stepwise from the column with NaC1. The sole glycosaminoglycan obtained was an undersulphated chondroitin-4-sulphate which was identified by chemical analyses, digestibility with testicular hyaluronidase, electrophoretic behaviour and infrared spectrum. Gel-exclusion chromatography indicated a molecular weight of 17 000 for the compound. The undersulphated chondroitin-4-sulphate was calculated to represent at least 80% of the macromolecular glycosaminoglycans present in normal human plasma and to occur in a concentration of approx. 3 mg hexuronate per 1 of plasma.

Acid glycosaminoglycans (mucopolysaccharides) in the differential diagnosis of pleural effusion.

Pleural fluid glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in 64 patients with various diseases were isolated by anion-exchange chromatography after proteolysis, and characterised by spectrophotometric, electrophoretic and enzymatic techniques. GAG concentrations ranged from 7 to 1178 microng hexuronate/ml pleural fluid. The highest values (1178, 161 and 160 micron/ml) were found in patients with diffuse mesothelioma. Over 90% of the pleural fluid GAG consisted of hyaluronic acid (HA) in these patients. In other types of pleural effusion the relative HA content varied from 42 to 70% of the total GAG. Determination of pleural fluid HA consequently appears extremely valuable in the diagnosis of the form of mesothelioma producing HA. The mean GAG concentration of pleural fluid was significantly higher in tuberculous pleurisy than in hydrothorax (P less than 0.01), secondary malignant pleural effusion (P less than 0.0005) and idiopathic pleurisy (Pless than 0.03). It was impossible to demonstrate definite correlations between GAG and protein, and GAG and glucose concentrations of pleural fluid.

Acid glycosaminoglycans in plasma. I. Determination.

Plasma glycosaminoglycans (GAG) were isolated from 10 ml of plasma by a modification of the method of Calatroni et al. (3). DE-52 anion-exchange cellulose was used in the isolation of the fraction operationally defined as free GAG. Chondroitin sulphate and heparin added to plasma were quantitatively recovered in this fraction. After proteolysis with papain the fraction operationally defined as bound GAG was isolated using anion-exchange resin AG 1 X 2. GAG were measured as hexuronate with the m-hydroxydiphenyl method of Blumenkrantz and Asboe-Hansen (7) which was superior to various modifications of the carbazole/borate carbazole procedures. In 15 healthy females and in 15 healthy males the concentrations of the free GAG (mean +/- S.D., expressed as microgram per 10 ml of plasma) were: 12.2 +/- 2.8 and 16.8 +/- 3.8 (P less than 0.001); of the bound GAG 40.4 +/- 7.7, and 40.2 +/- 11.6; and of the total GAG 52.7 +/- 9.0 and 57.0 +/- 10.4, respectively. With the isolation procedures used, plasma GAG were obtained in sufficient quantity for their electrophoretic characterization. Assay of plasma GAG can be performed with satisfactory accuracy and precision within two days by the present method. In clinical chemistry its application to the study of proteoglycan and GAG metabolism in various diseases may prove valuable.

Urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans in malignant diseases of the haemopoietic and lymphatic tissues.

A study has been made of the urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in 50 patients with malignancies, including 6 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), 11 with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), 10 with chronic lymphatic leukaemia (CLL), 10 with multiple myeloma (MM), 7 with Hodgkin's disease and 6 with mycosis fungoides (MF). The total urinary GAG were isolated by precipitation with cetyltrimethyl-ammoniumbromide (CTAB), and assayed in terms of their hexuronic acid content. A statistically highly significant increase in the excretion of total GAG was observed in all the disorders studied, except Hodgkin's disease, the highest value being seen in myeloid leukaemia (ML). Constant amounts of non-dialysable urinary GAG were electrophoresed in 0.5 M lithium acetate on cellulose acetate strips, and stained with alcian blue. The densitometric tracing derived from the electrophoresis strips were analysed with a Du Pont Curve Resolver. The electrophoretic data suggested the existence of a qualitative deviation in GAG excretion in CLL and in MF, in that patients with these diseases excreted on an average larger than normal amounts of slowly migrating GAG fractions. Pooled crude urinary GAG material from patients with CLL, MF, AML and CML and from control subjects was further purified and subjected to analytical studies. These indicated that a similar qualitative urinary GAG distribution exists in ML and in controls, whereas the urinary GAG in CLL and MF patients contained relatively more dermatan sulphate (DS, in terms of iduronate) than those of the controls.

Acid glycosaminoglycans in plasma. II. Findings in rheumatoid arthritis.

The glycosaminoglycans (GAG) directly adsorbable from undiluted plasma on DE-52 anion-exchange cellulose (free GAG) and the GAG adsorbable on AG 1 X 2 anion exchange resin after papain proteolysis (bound GAG) were determined in 35 patients suffering from active erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 50 control subjects. Free GAG levels were significantly elevated in both female (p less than 0.001) and male (p less than 0.05) RA patients. Bound GAG levels were significantly depressed in female (p less than 0.02) but not in male RA patients. Total GAG concentrations in RA patients and in controls were fairly similar. No consistent differences in the electrophoretic patterns of the plasma GAG from RA patients and controls were discernible. The free GAG concentrations in RA plasma samples did not correlate with seropositivity or ESR.