title: Extraction and structural analysis of glycosaminoglycans from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues.
abstract: Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are long, anionic polysaccharides involved in many basic aspects of mammalian physiology and pathology. Here we describe a method to extract GAGs from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues and found that they are structurally comparable with GAGs extracted from frozen tissues. We employed this method to structurally characterize GAGs in tissues, including laser-dissected layers of skin and pathological specimens. This method enables the use of the archival paraffin-embedded material for detailed (structural) analysis of GAGs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, PO Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Xander M R
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: van Wijk
authors.forename: Myrtille J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vallen
authors.forename: Els M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: van de Westerlo
authors.forename: Arie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Oosterhof
authors.forename: Wensi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Elly M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Versteeg
authors.forename: Julius
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Raben
authors.forename: Ronnie G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Wismans
authors.forename: Toon F C M
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Smetsers
authors.forename: Henry B P M
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Dijkman
authors.forename: Joost
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schalkwijk
authors.forename: Toin H
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: van Kuppevelt
mesh_terms: D053000:Analytic Sample Preparation Methods; D000818:Animals; D015925:Cryopreservation; D004187:Disaccharides / Q000032:analysis; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012867:Skin / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D004187:Disaccharides; D005404:Fixatives; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D005557:Formaldehyde