Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: increased hyaluronic acid in the media of the basilar artery.
Hyaluronic acid in the basilar artery of 10 patients with sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and 7 age-matched control subjects was examined histochemically and densitometrically. The intensity of staining with alcian blue was significantly increased (P=0.0007) in the media in ALS patients compared with that in control subjects. The staining was virtually eliminated by Streptomyces hyaluronidase. These results clearly indicate an increase of hyaluronic acid in the media of the basilar artery in ALS patients.
Oyanagi
K
K
Department of Neuropathology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute for Neuroscience, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan. k123ysm@tmin.ac.jp
Nagao
K
K
Ono
S
S
D000368:Aged; D000690:Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Q000378:metabolism*; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000378:metabolism*; D006651:Histocytochemistry; D006801:Humans; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000378:metabolism*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000378:metabolism*
D006820:Hyaluronic Acid