Glycosaminoglycans in emphysematous and fibrotic hamster lungs

Amounts and distributions of glycosaminoglycans were measured in lungs obtained from hamsters treated intratracheally 21 to 30 days previously with either saline, purified pancreatic elastase, or bleomycin. Normal hamster lungs contained 150 to 200 micrograms glycosaminoglycans per lung. Lungs made fibrotic by bleomycin contained significantly more glycosaminoglycans per lung than saline-treated control lungs; this increase was equally distributed among all glycosaminoglycan subtypes. Emphysematous lungs also contained more glycosaminoglycans than saline control lungs; this increase was less than that of fibrotic lungs and was limited to the dermatan sulfate subtype. The latter was increased in emphysematous lungs when expressed as a percentage of total glycosaminoglycans. In these hamster models of lung diseases that affect the connective tissue framework of the lungs, changes in lung glycosaminoglycans accompany changes in the other connective tissue components.