[An ultrahistochemical study of the trabecular meshwork in normal and open-angle glaucomatous eyes].

The acid mucopolysaccharides (AMPs) in the human trabecular meshwork were studied ultrahistochemically with hyaluronidase and chondroitinase ABC digestion in 15 normal eyes and 27 cases of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). It was found that in normal eyes, hyaluronidase-sensitive AMPs existed in the connective tissue of cribriform meshwork and trabeculae. They could play an important role in regulating the aqueous outflow resistance. In POAG, the amount of AMPs in the trabecular meshwork was increased, leading to increased aqueous outflow resistance through the combination of hyaluronic acid with water, forming electron-dense "plaque" materials in a matrix of chondroitin sulfate.