title: Physical and chemical characteristics of mucin secreted by pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP).
abstract: Background:Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare disease with excess intraperitoneal mucin secretion. Treatment involves laparotomy, cytoreduction and chemotherapy that is very invasive with patients often acquiring numerous compromises. Hence a mucolytic comprising of bromelain and N-acetyl cystein has been developed to solubilise mucin in situ for removal by catherization. Owing to differences in mucin appearance and hardness, dissolution varies. Therefore the current study investigates the inter-mucin physical and chemical characteristics, in order to reformulate an effective mucolytic for all mucin.Method:PMP mucin, from the three categories (soft, semi hard and hard mucin) was solubilised and then various physical characteristics such as turbidity, density, kinematic viscosity were measured. The water content and the density of solid mucin were also determined. This was followed by the determination of sialic acid, glucose, lipid, Thiol (S-S and S-H) content of the samples. Lastly, the distribution of MUC2, MUC5B and MUC5AC was determined using western blot technique.Results:Both turbidity and kinematic viscosity and sialic acid content increased linearly as the hardness of mucin increased. However, density, hydration, protein, glucose, lipid and sulfhydryl and disulphide content decreased linearly as hardness of mucin increased. The distribution ratio of mucins (MUC2:MUC5B:MUC5AC) in soft mucin is 2.25:1.5:1.0, semi hard mucin is 1:1:1 and hard mucin is 3:2:1.Conclusion:The difference in texture and hardness of mucin may be due to cellular content, hydration, glucose, protein, lipids, thiol and MUC distribution. Soft mucin is solely made of glycoprotein whilst the others contained cellular materials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
authors.forename: Javed
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akhter
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mekkawy
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
authors.forename: Terence C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of New South Wales, St. George Hospital, Kogarah, Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA.
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D005947:Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000032:analysis; D055271:Mucin 5AC / Q000032:analysis; D055262:Mucin-2 / Q000032:analysis; D055257:Mucin-5B / Q000032:analysis; D009077:Mucins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism*; D009093:Mucus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid / Q000032:analysis; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011553:Pseudomyxoma Peritonei / Q000378:metabolism*; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds / Q000032:analysis; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; C524678:MUC5AC protein, human; C524578:MUC5B protein, human; D055271:Mucin 5AC; D055262:Mucin-2; D055257:Mucin-5B; D009077:Mucins; D013438:Sulfhydryl Compounds; D019158:N-Acetylneuraminic Acid; D005947:Glucose
keywords: chemical; hardness.; mucin; physical; pseudomyxoma peritonei