An approach to experimental scleroderma, using urinary glycosaminoglycans from patients with systemic scleroderma.
As a result of intraperitoneal injections in mice of crude glycosaminoglycans obtained from the urine of patients with systemic scleroderma, a fibrotic process similar to the intial changes of human scleroderma was frequently observed, especially in the skin and esophagus when the glycosaminoglycans contained a probable variant of heparan sulfate. Furthermore, the scleroderma-like change was also observed, to some extent, in the ultrastructure of collagen fibers and glycosaminoglycans of the skin.
D000818:Animals; D003094:Collagen; D004947:Esophagus / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000648:ultrastructure; D051379:Mice; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine; D012867:Skin / Q000648:ultrastructure
D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D003094:Collagen