Glycosaminoglycan fractions in normal human urine.

A study has been made of glycosaminoglycans in normal urine to determine which are non-dialysable, which are ultrafilterable, and which are precipitable with cetypyridinium chloride or alcohol. The main fractions present in human urine are: (1) High molecular weight material which is non-dialysable and precipitated by alcohol and by cetylpyridinium chloride. (2) High molecular weight material which is non-dialysable and precipitated by alcohol but not by cetylpyridinium chloride. (3) Low molecular weight material which is ultrafilterable and precipitated by alcohol and by cetylpyridinium chloride. (4) Low molecular weight material which is ultrafilterable and precipitated by alcohol but not by cetyipyridinium chloride. The heavy losses of glycosaminoglycans on dialysis have led us to conclude that this method should not be used to study the excretion of these polymers and that direct precipitation with cetylpyridinium chloride, which can be used to isolate both non-dialysable and ultrafilterable macromolecular fractions relevant to the diagnosis of the mucopolysaccharidoses, is the method of choice.