Tissue structure-specific distribution of glycosaminoglycans in the human penis

The aim of this work was to isolate and characterise the glycosaminoglycans present in the different tissue structures of the human penis in view of t heir potentially significant role in the physiology of erection. Penile tis sue samples were obtained from patients who underwent penectomy and were su bsequently dissected into individual tissue structures. Total glycosaminogl ycans were isolated and purified from tunica albuginea, corpora cavernosa a nd corpus spongiosum. following tissue mincing, ultrasonication, lipid extr action, extensive digestion with pronase and DNase, treatment with alkali-b orohydride and ethanol precipitation. Isolated glycosaminoglycans were sepa rated by cellulose acetate electrophoresis and fractionated by anion exchan ge chromatography on DEAE Sephacel columns. Different glycosaminoglycan fra ctions were identified using glycosaminoglycan-degrading enzymes of known s pecificity. Gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to determi ne the average molecular mass of the glycosaminoglycans. The corpus caverno surn and the corpus spongiosum extracts contained almost twice the amount o f glycosaminoglycan-associated uronic acids as compared to the tunical extr acts (1.47 +/- 0.09, and 1.49 +/- 0.15 as opposed to 0.75 +/- 0.15 mug/mg d ry defatted tissue, respectively: S.E.M., n = 5). With the exception of hya luronic acid, the relative amount of individual glycosaminoglycan types var ied significantly among extracts of different origin. Heparan sulphate was more abundant in cavernosal, dermatan sulphate in tunical, and chondroitin- 6-sulphate in corpus spongiosum extracts. No structure-specific differences were detected with respect to the molecular mass distribution of each glyc osaminoglycan type. Our study shows that the different structures of the hu man penis produce distinct profiles of glycosaminoglycans, which are well s uited to the individual functional characteristics of these structures. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.