1995 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Cross-linking of the skin and spind cord in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
| Project/Area Number |
05670574
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for General Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Neurology
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| Research Institution | Teikyo University School of Medicine |
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Principal Investigator |
ONO Seiitsu Teikyo University, Dept.of Neuroly, associate professor, 医学部, 助教授 (20191968)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1993 – 1995
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| Keywords | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis / Collagen / Cross-linking / Skin / Spinal cord / Glycosaminoglycans |
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| Research Abstract |
We measured the amount of hydroxyproline (Hyp) in the anterior horn, pyramidal tract, and posterior horn in C5, Th2 and L4 of the spinal cord from normal subjects, respectively. The amount of Hyp was significantly larger (p<0.02) in the posterior horn (16.9 nmol/mg) than in the anterior horn and pyramidal tract (8.76 nmol/mg and 7.13 nmol/mg). Hyp is supecific amino acid to collagen. Thus, these results are compatible with our hypothesis that collagen plays a part in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
We performed morphological studies of skin and measured Glycosaminoglycans in the urine from patients with sporadic ALS and controls. The ground substance reacted strongly with alcian blue. However, staining with alcian blue was virtually eliminated by Streptmyces hyaluronidase. The urinary excretion of hyaluronic acid (HA) (mg/day) was significantly increased (p<0.01) in ALS patients compared with that of controls. It is suggested that sporadic ALS includes a metabolic disorder of HA in which an accumulation of HA in skin is linked to an increased urinary excretion of HA.
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