Paired observations of sulphate/uronic acid ratios in glycosaminoglycans of human dermis and urine

Using methods which have been described earlier in detail [23] the sulphate/uronic acid molar ratio of glycosaminoglycans was determined in corresponding specimens of skin and urine obtained from 14 healthy adults. The method of dermis was provided with an electrophoretic separation that made it possible to determine the ratio of the sulphate subfraction without increasing the weight of the biopsies. The sulphate/uronic acid ratios were uninfluenced by age and were exactly equal in males and females whether measured in total glycosaminoglycans of dermis (0 X 51 +/- 0 X 11, means +/- SD), in the sulphated subfraction of dermal glycosaminoglycans (1 X 17 +/- 0 X 25) or in urinary glycosaminoglycans (0 X 96 +/- 0 X 15). The latter ratio was surprisingly high and the significance of this was discussed. Furthermore an inverse relationship between the urinary ratio and the ratio of sulphated glycosaminoglycans of dermis was found. However the exact nature of this relationship remains to be explained. The results demonstrate the applicability of a method that can be used on small biopsies without ethical obstacles and make it possible to discover pathological conditions.