HYALURONIC-ACID (HYALURONAN) LEVELS IN PA THOLOGICAL HUMAN SAPHENOUS VEINS - EFFECT OF PROCYANIDOLIC OLIGOMERS

SUMM. We investigated the hyaluronan content in the pathologic human v enous wall using an ELSA assay with hyaluronectin according to the met hod of Delpech et nl, The mean hyaluronan content in the 74 fragments from 12 venous walls studied nas 596 +/- 528 ng/mg dry weight. These 1 2 venous walls could be separated in 3 distinct groups according to th eir hyaluronan content, law (277 +/- 141 ng/mg dry weight), moderate ( 552 +/- 361 ng/m dry weight) or high (1299 +/- 568 ng/mg dry weight). The differences between these groups are significant (p < 0.001), The presence of a veino-lymphatic oedema was generally associated with a h igh hyaluronan level (in 65% of cases). The H-3-glucosamine incorporat ion in cultured venous wall explants showed a 35% increase (p < 0.002) in varicosis as compared with the non or less modified segments of th e vein and a 29% (p < 0.001) increase in presence of a veino-lymphatic oedema. The addition of 1 mg/ml of PCO (Procyanidolic Oligomers) to t he culture media induced near to 20% decrease of the H-3-glucosamine i ncorporation and a 34% decrease of the hyaluronan content. Our results confirm the role of local overprodution of hyaluronan in the establis hment of oedema and the potential effect of PCO to counteract it.