Chemical analysis of the glomeruli from the kidney of diabetics and subjects with chronic glomerulonephritis.

A method was established to isolate the glomeruli from the kidney fixed in formaldehyde. O-Hydroxylysylglycosides and hydroxyproline in the isolated glomeruli from the kidney of normal subjects, diabetics and subjects with chronic glomerulonephritis were measured on the alkaline hydrolyzate of the glomeruli. O-Hydroxylysylglycosides in 1000 glomeruli were 9.42 +/- 2.68 nmoles (mean +/- S.D.) for controls, 12.92 +/- 7.36 nmoles for diabetics and 12.54 +/- 4.62 nmoles for subjects with chronic glomerulonephritis. Hydroxyproline in 1000 glomeruli from control, diabetics and subjects with chronic glomerulonephritis was 43.0 +/- 10.7, 82.0 +/- 39.3 and 52.1 +/- 21.3 nmoles, respectively. Hydroxyproline in the hyalinized glomeruli from diabetics was 123.3 +/- 22.4 nmoles/1000 glomeruli, and significantly increased in comparison with that in the glomeruli from chronic glomerulonephritis or control subjects.