Composition of glycosaminoglycans in human pancreatic cancer

Five glycosaminoglycans were isolated from tryptic digestion of both cancerous and normal tissues of the human pancreas and were assayed by determining the carbohydrate content of materials. Separation of these five polymers was achieved by Dowex 1-X2 column chromatography and fractionation with Benedict's solution. They were identified as hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, dermatan sulfate, chondroitin-4-sulfate, and chondroitin-6-sulfate, respectively. The total amount of glycosaminoglycans in cancer tissue increased in comparison to the controls. The increase in tissue content of glycosaminoglycans was accompanied by increases in chondroitin-4-sulfate and chondroitin-6-sulfate levels.