Individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) present with severe airway destruction and extensive bronchiectasis. It has been assumed that these structural airway changes have occurred secondary to infection and inflammation, but recent studies suggest that glycosaminoglycan (GAG) remodelling may be an important independent parallel process. Evidence is accumulating that not only the concentration, bu...

InTRoDuCTIon Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of inherited storage diseases which are caused due to the deficiency of lysosomal enzymes which are needed to degrade glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). GAGs are the polymers of a disaccharide unit which are composed generally of uronic acid and sulphated amino or N-acetylated monosacchrides. GAGs are linked to proteins to form proteoglycans, which a...

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) interact with a number of cytokines and growth factors thereby playing an essential role in the regulation of many physiological processes. These interactions are important for both normal signal transduction and the regulation of the tissue distribution of cytokines/growth factors. In the present study, we employed surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy to disse...

Macrophages are major cells of inflammatory process and take part in a large number of physiological and pathological processes. According to tissue environment, they can polarize into pro-inflammatory (M1) or alternative (M2) cells. Although many evidences have hinted to a potential role of cell-surface glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the functions of macrophages, the effect of M1 or M2 polarizat...

This study was designed to identify the specific proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the leaflets and chordae of the mitral valve and to interpret their presence in relation to the tensile and compressive loads borne by these tissues. Leaflets and chordae from normal human mitral valves (n = 31, obtained at autopsy) were weighed and selected portions digested using proteinase K, hyal...

Chondroitin sulfate is known to be present in normal and leukemic myeloid cells; however, its definitive subcellular location and association with other glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) has not been demonstrated. We have studied the type and distribution of GAGs in neutrophil granule subpopulations of normal and leukemic myeloid cells using ultrastructural, cytochemical, immunologic, and biochemical m...

The multiple etiologic factors involved in acne make the use of various medications necessary to treat the condition. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of mupirocin and rifampin used with standard treatment in the management of acne vulgaris. In a multicentre, randomized controlled, triple-blinded study, a total of 105 acne patients, with a clinical diagnosis of moderate to severe acne...

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) expressed ubiquitously on the cell surface are known to interact with a variety of ligands to mediate different cellular processes. However, their role in the internalization of cationic gene delivery vectors such as liposomes, polymers, and peptides is still ambiguous and seems to be controlled by multiple factors. In this report, taking peptides as model systems, we ...

The viscoelastic properties of human ligament potentially guard against structural failure, yet the microstructural origins of these transient behaviors are unknown. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are widely suspected to affect ligament viscoelasticity by forming molecular bridges between neighboring collagen fibrils. This study investigated whether GAGs directly affect viscoelastic material behavio...

Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS) are a group of inherited metabolic disorders caused by deficiency of enzymes that degrade glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Urinary excretion of GAGs is a common feature of MPS, and is considered their major biomarker. We aimed to adapt the GAG electrophoresis method to a commercial agarose gel which would be able to separate urinary GAGs in a simpler way with good sensitiv...