1983 Volume 33 Issue 1 Pages 57-68
Systemic scleroderma is a connective tissue disorder characterized by skin sclerosis. This investigation deals with the content and distribution of skin glycosaminoglycan (GAG) in mice with experimentally-induced skin sclerosis. The skin sclerosis was induced either with bis (4-amino-3-methyl-cyclohexyl) methane (BAMM) which is the suspected causative agent of an occupational scleroderma developed in men engaged in the polymerization of epoxy resins or with the scleroderma-inducing GAG isolated from the urine of patietns with systemic scleroderma. Further, the influence of cold temperature on skin change was investigated in BAMM-induced experimental skin sclerosis because cold is related to the occurrence of systemic scleroderma. Skin GAG was isolated from the skin of mice by collagenase-digestion of specimens. The GAG content was determined as the volume of uronic acid and hexosamine. The distribution pattern of skin GAG was determined by the densitometry of alcianophilia of spots developed on cellulose acetate electrophoresis in comparison with that of standard GAGs.
As a result, dermatan sulfate ratio to total GAG was significantly increased in mice with BAMM-induced skin sclerosis which were maintained in room temperature of 3°C for 12h and temperature of 22°-24°C for the rest time of day or in mice injected with partially purified sclero derma-inducing GAG. This result agrees well with GAG change in the indurative skin of patients with systemic scleroderma. The sclerodermatous skin change further, was observed in a high incidence in mice group with increased skin dermatan sulfate.
