Human scleras were analyzed to determine if tissue hydration changed in an age-related fashion, and whether this change could be related to decreased levels of glycosaminoglycans. The anterior half of normal human scleras were examined with donor ages ranging from newborn to 99 years (n = 40). Tissue hydration was found to decrease by 1.06% per decade (P = 0.0012). Glycosaminoglycans were extra...

Bruno Baggio, Istituto di Medicina Interna, Via Giustiniani 2, I-35128 Padova (Italy) Dear Sir, In reference to the contribution from the Lambert group [1], we have recently obtained similar data [2,3] also in agreement with Baba et al. [4], but different from those of Mathiesen et al. [5]. In fact, a statistically significant reduction of erythrocyte anion charge (RBCCh) was observed in insuli...

INTRODUCTION The distribution, concentration and function of glycosaminoglycans in the various vocal fold tissues are still unclear. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the distribution and concentration of sulfated glycosaminoglycans in different layers of the human vocal fold according to gender and age. METHODS We used 11 vocal folds obtained from cadavers (7 men and 4 women) with no laryngeal lesion,...

OBJECTIVE To determine the presence of glycosaminoglycans in the extracellular matrix of connective tissue from neoplastic and non-neoplastic colorectal tissues, since it has a central role in tumor development and progression. METHODS Tissue samples from neoplastic and non-neoplastic colorectal tissues were obtained from 64 operated patients who had colorectal carcinoma with no distant metas...

BACKGROUND Four distinguishing histopathological characteristics of thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections (TAADs) are the fragmentation or degradation of elastic fibers, loss of smooth muscle, pooling of glycosaminoglycans, and remodeling of fibrillar collagens. Of these, pooling of glycosaminoglycans appears to be unique to these lesions. METHODS This review acknowledges the importance o...

We have previously shown that the transitional cells lining the urinary bladder are capable of producing glycosaminoglycan (GAG). By use of a quantitative in vivo method of measuring bacterial adherence, we demonstrated that bacterial adherence to the mucosal cells is diminished in the presence of this GAG, rises when it is removed (by acid), and returns to normal when the GAG is resynthesized ...

A histochemical study of sulphated glycosaminoglycans associated with the somites of the chick embryo SUMMARY A histochemical analysis has been made of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (mucopoly-saccharides) associated with chick embryo somites before and after the onset of overt cartilage differentiation. The sulphated glycosaminoglycans were distinguished and resolved into different types by the ...

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are complex linear polysaccharides expressed in intracellular compartments, at the cell surface, and in the extracellular environment where they interact with various molecules to regulate many cellular processes implicated in health and disease. Subversion of GAGs is a pathogenic strategy shared by a wide variety of microbial pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, pa...

Glycosaminoglycans are sulfated biopolymers with rich chemical diversity and complex functions in vivo, contributing to processes ranging from cell growth and neuronal development to viral invasion and neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies suggest that glycosaminoglycans may encode information in the form of a 'sulfation code,' whereby discrete modifications to the polysaccharide backbone m...

We used 55 Ala-scanned recombinant thrombin molecules to define residues important for inhibition by the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) heparin cofactor II (HCII) in the absence and presence of glycosaminoglycans. We verified the importance of numerous basic residues in anion-binding exosite-1 (exosite-1) and found 4 additional residues, Gln24, Lys65, His66, and Tyr71 (using the thrombin nu...