Hyaluronic acid in the pulmonary secretions of patients with alveolar proteinosis.

Hyaluronic acid was the only glycosaminoglycan found in the pulmonary secretions of patients with alveolar proteinosis. The compound gave a hexouronate/hexosamine molar ratio of about 1:1. Glucosamine constituted over 98% of the hexosamines, the remaining being galactosamine. It moved as a single spot with the mobility of standard hyaluronic acid on cellulose acetate electrophoresis, and this spot disappeared after digestion with hyaluronidase. It was associated with small amounts of proteins, the major amino acids of which are aspartic acid, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, and leucine.