Laser nephelometric determination of glycosaminoglycans--method and application.

Light scattering due to the formation of insoluble complexes between the long-chain quaternary ammonium salt N-cetylpyridinium chloride and glycosaminoglycans was utilized for a relative simple, sensitive and precise determination of total and specific types of glycosaminoglycans by laser nephelometry. The addition of the ammonium salt to solutions of various glycosaminoglycans in 0.03 mol/l NaCl produces a time-dependent increase in light scattering, which reaches a maximum between 14 and 18 h of complex formation, irrespective of the type of glycosaminoglycan studied. Only keratan sulphate does not generate light scattering, and is therefore not detectable by the procedure. The scattering of laser light by certain types of sulphated glycosaminoglycans (e.g. heparan sulphate, heparin) depends more on the degree of sulphation (charge density) than on chain length within a certain range. Optimum light scattering was found at 28 mmol/l N-cetylpyridinium chloride and at a ionic strength around 0.03 mol/l NaCl. The detection limits and linear ranges of the individual glycosaminoglycans were evaluated. For the determination of chondroitin sulphate, laser nephelometry is at least 8 times more sensitive and much more simple than the modified carbazole method (glucuronic acid). The intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation are about 4% and 7%, respectively. Laser nephelometry is much more sensitive than turbidimetry. Complex synthetic mixtures of glycosaminoglycans and biological fluids were accurately differentiated by successive chemical and enzymatic degradation of the respective glycosaminoglycans followed by the measurement of the resulting reduction of laser light scattering. In synovial fluids from non-inflammatory joint diseases, light scattering (units/ml) was about 4.5 times higher than in synovial fluids from inflammatory articular lesions. In both pathologic conditions nearly all of the light scattering can be attributed to hyaluronic acid.