Acidic glycosaminoglycans in human esophagus tissue.

The constitution of acidic glycosaminoglycans (AGAG) in the normal human esophagi which were obtained at autopsy from 13 female subjects, from 30 to 59 years old, was biochemically analyzed by the procedures such as resin chromatographic separation, electrophoretic characterization in 3 buffer systems and enzymic assay with chondroitinases and hyaluronidase. The main AGAG was hyaluronic acid which amounts to a half of total AGAG, followed by heparan sulfates and dermatan sulfate one fifth of total AGAG each, and small amounts of chondroitin-4- and -6-sulfates and oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. Heparin was not detected. A possible role of the esophageal AGAG was discussed.