Acid glycosaminoglycans in plasma. II. Findings in rheumatoid arthritis.

The glycosaminoglycans (GAG) directly adsorbable from undiluted plasma on DE-52 anion-exchange cellulose (free GAG) and the GAG adsorbable on AG 1 X 2 anion exchange resin after papain proteolysis (bound GAG) were determined in 35 patients suffering from active erosive rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and in 50 control subjects. Free GAG levels were significantly elevated in both female (p less than 0.001) and male (p less than 0.05) RA patients. Bound GAG levels were significantly depressed in female (p less than 0.02) but not in male RA patients. Total GAG concentrations in RA patients and in controls were fairly similar. No consistent differences in the electrophoretic patterns of the plasma GAG from RA patients and controls were discernible. The free GAG concentrations in RA plasma samples did not correlate with seropositivity or ESR.