CHANGES IN SKIN DISACCHARIDE COMPONENTS CORRELATE WITH THE SEVERITY OF SCLEROTIC SKIN IN SYSTEMIC-SCLEROSIS

The disaccharide contents of chondroitinase-digestible glycosaminoglyc ans extracted from a 6-mm punch biopsy of the forearm skin were determ ined using high-performance liquid chromatography after 1-phenyl-3-met hyl-5-pyrasolone labelling. In 9 patients with systemic sclerosis, the amounts of both the main disaccharide unit of dermatan sulfate and ch ondroitin sulfate C increased significantly, as compared with 7 site-m atched controls. Furthermore, the increase in dermatan sulfate was sig nificantly correlated with both the clinical severity and the extent o f skin sclerosis, while the main disaccharide unit of hyaluronic acid tended to decrease. These results confirm that changes in skin glycosa minoglycans are closely related to fibrotic processes and suggest that the alterations of disaccharide components may play a role in the col lagen deposition in systemic sclerosis.