Identification, quantification and fine structural characterization of glycosaminoglycans from uterine leiomyoma and normal myometrium

The type, amount and fine chemical composition of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) present both in human normal myometrium and uterine leiomyoma have been st udied. GAGs were fractionated by ion-exchange chromatography on DEAE-Sephac el, isolated by gel-permeation chromatography on Sepharose CL-6B and charac terized using electrophoresis in cellulose acetate membranes, specific enzy mic treatments and analysis by high-performance capillary electrophoresis ( HPCE). No statistical intrabatch differences in total GAG content in both t issues were identified, whereas significant interbatch differences between normal myometrium and uterine leiomyoma were recorded. Hyaluronan (HA), cho ndroitin sulphate (CS), dermatan sulphate (DS), heparan sulphate (HS) and k eratan sulphate (KS) were identified in both tissues. Statistically signifi cant (P less than or equal to 0.001) differences in uterine leiomyoma in th e content of HA (-27.7%), DS (+158.5%), KS (+116.4%) and HS (-52.5%), as co mpared to normal myometrium, were determined. Despite the differences in th e amount of GAGs, no significant differences in the fine chemical compositi on of CS and DS were identified. It is worth noting that DS of both tissues is constructed by glucuronic acid-containing long repeats separated by a f ew iduronic acid residues. The results of this study suggest that the devel opment of uterine leiomyoma is closely related to quantitative changes at t he GAG level. The increase of DS and KS may well be related to increased ne osynthesis of fibrotic connective tissue, whereas the decrease of HA and th e unaltered amounts of CS may also indicate benign tumors of low growth rat e. (C) 2001 Societe francaise de biochimie et biologic moleculaire / Editio ns scientifiques et medicales Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.