title: Glycosaminoglycans and oxalocalcic urolithiasis.
abstract: A very simple analytical procedure with dimethylmethylene blue as photometric reagent was applied for the evaluation of glycosaminoglycan (GAG) urinary excretions and concentrations in both sexes, calcium oxalate stone formers, and a control group. The GAG concentrations varied significantly in stone formers (males and females) and in the control group; moreover, in some individual cases, a deficit of urinary GAGs was clearly detected. Apart from important inhibitory effects of GAGs on heterogenous calcium oxalate nucleation, the low urinary GAG content could be the cause of a pathological epithelium, favoring stone formation. The dimethylmethylene blue method is recommended as a quick screening procedure to determine a GAG deficit.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Grases
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Llompart
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Conte
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Coll
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: March
mesh_terms: D002129:Calcium Oxalate / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008751:Methylene Blue / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D010783:Photometry / Q000379:methods; D014545:Urinary Calculi / Q000737:chemistry / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D002129:Calcium Oxalate; D008751:Methylene Blue; C016401:1,9-dimethylmethylene blue