Sulfated glycopeptides from middle ear effusions of secretory otitis media.

The middle ear effusion specimens were obtained by myringotomy and aspiration from 4 children of 4-7 years old, who had been diagnosed as patients with secretory otitis media on the basis of conductive hearing loss and tympanogram. In cases 1 and 2, their ear fluids were macroscopically serous, while those of cases 3 and 4 were mucous. These ear fluids were digested with pronase and the digests were analyzed by cellulose acetate membrane electrophoresis with alcian blue and high-iron-diamine stainings. All samples were found to contain glycopeptides possibly derived from sulfated mucin-type glycoproteins with small amounts of glycosaminoglycans. The glycoconjugates from cases 3 and 4 were further examined after hyaluronidase and chondroitinase ABC treatments, followed by heparitinase digestion. The resultant glycopeptide fractions appeared to be electrophoretically homogeneous and their chemical compositions suggested that they were typical mucin-type glycopeptides. Furthermore, they contained sulfates. The data suggest that in secretory otitis media, one of the major components of middle ear effusions is sulfated mucin-type glycoprotein.