Changes in acidic glycosaminoglycan components at different stages of human liver cirrhosis.

Acidic glycosaminoglycan (AGAG) components in normal human liver and at different stages of liver cirrhosis were studied at the constitutional disaccharide level by enzymatic assay methods. The AGAG content in human cirrhotic liver was 5-6 times that in the normal state. The most predominant AGAG components in normal human liver tissue were heparan sulfates (HS) which accounting for 63% of the total AGAG, followed by a moderate amount of dermatan sulfate (DS) and small amounts of chondroitin sulfate isomers and hyaluronic acid (HA). In addition, the oversulfated DS detected in human liver. The increase in both HS and DS content reflects an increase in total AGAG with advancing liver cirrhosis. The ratio of non-sulfated AGAG, HA plus chondroitin, to DS plus its oversulfated isomer was 0.24 in the normal state but it increased to 0.80 at the early stage of liver cirrhosis. However, the ratio decreased to 0.36 and 0.21 at the typical and advanced stages of liver cirrhosis, respectively, with progress in the fibrotic process.