title: Composition of urinary glycosaminoglycans in a patient with relapsing polychondritis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several investigators have reported an increase in urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in patients with relapsing polychondritis (RP). The aim of this investigation is to analyze the composition and structure of urinary GAGs from a Brazilian patient with RP.
  
  
  METHODS
  The identification and structural analyses of the GAGs were made by electrophoresis and degradation with specific enzymes and identification of their disaccharides products by HPLC chromatography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The disaccharide products formed from RP urinary chondroitin sulfate (CS) by action of chondroitin ABC lyase showed a substantial relative increase of nonsulfated disaccharides with a relative decrease of 6-sulfated disaccharides compared to control subjects. In addition, a significant change of the ratio of CS and heparan sulfate was also observed in the RP patient.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RP patient analyzed has shown a structural anomaly of the urinary CS and this may contribute to the diagnosis of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Tecido Conjuntivo, Hospital Universitário Clementino Fraga Filho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Passos
authors.forename: Glaucia R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Onofre
authors.forename: Rita C L
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: Daniele L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Graff
authors.forename: Evilmara A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Pagani
authors.forename: Celso T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Sodré
authors.forename: Luiz-Claudio F
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Silva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011081:Polychondritis, Relapsing / Q000652:urine*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans