Distribution of acidic glycosaminoglycans, lipids and water in normal human cerebral arteries at various ages.

Functional alterations in arterial acidic glycosaminoglycans (AGAG) may be related to the pathogenesis of some forms of cerebrovascular disease. We measured the AGAG, lipid and water content of human cerebral artery of 275 normal males at various ages. These measures were separately carried out in the main trunk and distal branches. The AGAG components were analyzed by an enzymatic assay method employing specific enzymes which digest AGAG to assess topographic change and aging variations. The total AGAG content was higher in the main cerebral artery than in the distal branches. The main AGAG component of the normal main cerebral artery was heparan sulfates (HS), constituting half the total AGAG, followed by moderate amounts of dermatan sulfate (DS), chondroitin-6-sulfate (C-6S) and chondroitin-4-sulfate (C-4S). Hyaluronic acid (HA) was a minor component and it was more prominent in young arteries. Heparin could be occasionally detected. With advancing age, the relative amounts of HS, HA, chondroitin and C-4S both in the main trunk and distal branches decreased but those of DS and C-6S increased. The total lipid, cholesterol ester and triglyceride content was greater in the main trunk than in the distal branches; the total lipid content increased with age. A possible function of the cerebral arterial AGAG is discussed with respect to change in lipid and water content according to topographic sites and aging.