Neurology
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Correspondence:
Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Correspondence are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ono, S.
Right arrow Articles by Nagao, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ono, S.
Right arrow Articles by Nagao, K.
NEUROLOGY 1998;51:399-404
© 1998 American Academy of Neurology

Alterations of skin glycosaminoglycans in patients with ALS

S. Ono, MD, T. Imai, MD, A. Aso, PhD, T. Yamano, MD, N. Shimizu, MD and K. Nagao, MD

From the Department of Neurology (Drs. Ono, Yamano, and Shimizu) and the Department of Surgical Pathology (Drs. Aso and Nagao), Teikyo University School of Medicine, Ichihara Hospital, Ichihara; and the Department of Neurology (Dr. Imai), National Sanatorium Chiba-Higashi Hospital, Chiba, Japan.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. S. Ono, Department of Neurology, Teikyo University School of Medicine, Ichihara Hospital, 3426-3, Anesaki, Ichihara, Chiba 299-01, Japan.

Background and Objective: Collagen abnormalities of skin have been reported among patients with ALS. However, little is known concerning glycosaminoglycans of the skin in ALS. Our objective was to clarify morphologic and biochemical findings of skin glycosaminoglycans among patients with ALS.

Methods: We performed morphologic studies and biochemical analysis of glycosaminoglycans of skin from 8 patients with ALS, 6 patients with other neurologic or muscular diseases (control group A), and 7 patients without neurologic disorders (control group B).

Results: The wide spaces that separate collagen bundles reacted strongly with Alcian blue stain in skin from patients with ALS and stained more markedly as ALS progressed. Staining with Alcian blue was virtually eliminated by Streptomyces hyaluronidase. The content of hyaluronic acid was significantly higher (p < 0.001) among patients with ALS than in control groups A and B. There was a significant positive correlation between content of hyaluronic acid and duration of illness among patients with ALS (r = 0.88, p < 0.01). However, there was no significant difference in content of dermatan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate-4S, or chondroitin sulfate-6S between patients with ALS and control groups A and B. There was also an appreciable positive correlation between optical density of Alcian blue and content of hyaluronic acid among patients with ALS (r = 0.92, p < 0.01).

Conclusions: The data suggest that a metabolic alteration of glycosaminoglycans related to the increased amount of hyaluronic acid may take place in the skin of patients with ALS.

Received February 9, 1998. Accepted in final form April 24, 1998.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1998 by AAN Enterprises, Inc.