Glycosaminoglycans of human colonic mucosa and colonic adenocarcinoma

The mucosal scrapings of the normal human colons and the colonic adenocarcinoma tissues were digested with pronase, and the glycosaminoglycan fractions were prepared by fractionation with cetylpyridinium chloride after treatment with deoxyribonuclease. Chondroitin sulfate A/C, heparan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid were contained in the glycosaminoglycan fraction of the normal tissue, but dermatan sulfate was undetectable. In contrast, the glycosaminoglycan fractions derived from the tumors contained substantial amounts of dermatan sulfate together with the foregoing three glycosaminoglycans. The total content of glycosaminoglycans per wet tissue weight was elevated in the tumor tissues, which was consistent with histochemical findings.