ISOLATION AND ELECTROPHORETIC ANALYSIS OF HUMAN SERUM PROTEOGLYCANS AND THEIR REACTION WITH NICKEL IN-VITRO

Human serum proteoglycans were isolated from random serum samples from healthy blood donors by cetylpyridinium chloride precipitation techni que. Their concentration (14 +/- 6 mg/l +/- S.D.) corresponded to that of other mammals. Electrophoretic separation on polyacrylamide gel wi th a subsequent staining for glycans revealed four major bands from 17 5 to 80 kDa. Incubation in vitro with 0.1,0.2 or 0.5 mM NiCl2 for 1 h caused a loss of glycan chains according to the nickel concentration. In the electrophoretic analysis, all proteoglycan bands diminished due to the incubation with the nickel salt. It seems that this approach c ould be used as a model for effects of chemicals on the proteoglycan m etabolism.