title: Isolation and Quantification of Glycosaminoglycans from Human Hair Shaft.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is evidence that glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are present in the hair shaft within the follicle but there are no studies regarding GAGs isolation and measurement in the human hair shaft over the scalp surface, it means, in the free hair shaft.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of our research was to isolate and measure the total GAGs from human free hair shaft.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-five healthy individuals participated in the study, 58 adults, men and women over the age of 50 and 17 children (aged 4~9). GAGs in hair samples, received from the parietal and the occipital areas, were isolated with 4 M guanidine HCl and measured by the uronic acid-carbazole reaction assay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GAGs concentration was significantly higher in the occipital area than in the parietal area, in all study groups. GAG levels from both areas were significantly higher in children than in adults. GAG levels were not associated with gender, hair color or type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We report the presence of GAGs in the human free hair shaft and the correlation of hair GAG levels with the scalp area and participants' age.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Eleni
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maniatopoulou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Stefanos
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bonovas
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Athens School of Medicine, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sitaras
keywords: Glycosaminoglycans; Hair; Proteoglycans