Prospective evaluation of Chondroitin sulfate, Heparan sulfate and Hyaluronic acid in prostate cancer

ABSTRACT Purpose: The present study evaluates chondroitin sulfate (CS) and heparan sulfate (HS) in the urine and hyaluronic acid (HA) in the plasma of patients with prostate cancer before and after treatment compared to a control group. Materials and Methods: Plasma samples were used for HA dosage and urine for quantification of CS and HS from forty-four cancer patients and fourteen controls. Clinical, laboratory and radiological information were correlated with glycosaminoglycan quantification by statistical analysis. Results: Serum HA was significantly increased in cancer patients (39.68 ± 30.00 ng/ mL) compared to control group (15.04 ± 7.11 ng/mL; p=0.004) and was further increased in high-risk prostate cancer patients when compared to lower risk patients (p = 0.0214). Also, surgically treated individuals had a significant decrease in seric levels of heparan sulfate after surgical treatment, 31.05 ± 21.01 μg/mL (before surgery) and 23.14 ± 11.1 μg/mL (after surgery; p=0.029). There was no difference in the urinary CS and HS between prostate cancer patients and control group. Urinary CS in cancer patients was 27.32 ± 25.99 μg/mg creatinine while in the men unaffected by cancer it was 31.37 ± 28.37 μg/mg creatinine (p=0.4768). Urinary HS was 39.58 ± 32.81 μg/ mg creatinine and 35.29 ± 28.11 μg/mg creatinine, respectively, in cancer patients and control group (p=0.6252). Conclusions: Serum HA may be a useful biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer. However, urinary CS and HS did not altered in the present evaluation. Further studies are necessary to confirm these preliminary findings.

Un nuevo método químico específico para la determinación de la heparina y otros glicosaminoglicanos naturales / New chemical method for determination of heparin and other glycosaminoglycans

El objetivo de la investigación fue la obtención de un método que permitiera la determinación de la heparina y otros glicosaminoglicanos (GAG) naturales en las cantidades pequeñas en que se los encuentra en los líquidos biológicos. El método debía ser sencillo y de la mayor especificidad posible. Se ha logrado poner a punto la reacción de los hidratos de carbono con el indol en medio ácido, de manera tal que, dependiendo de las condiciones de una hidrólisis previa también en medio ácido, sea específica, bien para la heparina y el dermatán sulfato, o bien para el condroitín 4-sulfato o el condroitín 6-sulfato. La albúmina humana y las sales inorgánicas no interfieren con la reacción, lo que valoriza el método para su aplicación a material biológica. La sencillez de la técnica, pues no requiere ninguna precipitación previa, acrecienta en mayor medida su valor potencial para la Bioquímica analítica