Patterns of sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis and accumulation in hepatic granulomas induced by schistosomal infection.

We have characterized sulfated glycosaminoglycans of periovular granulomas induced in mouse liver by experimental infection with Schistosoma mansoni and determined parameters of their synthesis and accumulation by metabolic incorporation of 35S. The major component of glycosaminoglycans isolated from granulomas was dermatan sulfate and the minor component was heparan sulfate. A similar proportion was observed among newly synthesized 35S-labeled glycosaminoglycans, with a slight increase in the relative amount of heparan sulfate. Neither qualitative nor quantitative differences were observed between glycosaminoglycans isolated from granulomas of the acute and the chronic phase of the disease. In contrast, collagen content of granulomas increased eightfold during evolution of the disease from the acute to the chronic phase. It may be concluded that different mechanisms control glycosaminoglycan and collagen synthesis in schistosomal granulomas, as well as the ratio between these components in the extracellular matrix. This is consistent with the loose organization of the extracellular matrix in acute inflammatory reactions and its dense organization in the chronic reactions.