title: Age-related changes in proteoglycans of human intervertebral discs.
abstract: The age-related changes in glycosaminoglycan composition of human intervertebral discs were studied. A large number of tissue samples taken from 301 individuals at autopsy or at operation of prolapsed discs were investigated. It was found that the aging process is accompanied by a progressive decrease in GAGs content, both in annulus fibrosus and in nucleus pulposus. The GAG: collagen ratio significantly decreases. The KS and Ch-6-S were found to be the most abundant GAGs in both parts of the disc and their amounts decrease during the aging. A distinct, age-related increase of KS/Ch-S and Ch-6-S/Ch-4-S ratios was observed. Significant quantitative differences between the GAGs contents in normal and prolapsed discs were found. The nuclei pulposi of prolapsed discs contained less GAGs, especially KS and Ch-6-S, in comparison to normal tissue of the same age. Also, the age-related decline of GAGs: collagen ratio is more distinct in prolapsed discs. It seems that these differences in GAGs composition may be important in the mechanism of predisposition to disc prolapse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Diagnostics, Silesian Academy of Medicine, Sosnowiec, Poland.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Olczyk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008432:Mathematical Computing; D008838:Microcomputers; D008875:Middle Aged; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D011509:Proteoglycans; D003094:Collagen