Comparison of the biochemistry of proteoglycans isolated from normal, idiopathic scoliotic and cerebral palsy spines.

Six levels of anulus and nucleus were obtained from each of three spines: one with idiopathic scoliosis, one with cerebral palsy, and one age-matched control. Proteoglycans from all spines had the same extractability and distribution in the associative and dissociative cesium chloride density gradients. In all cases, the anulus differed from the nucleus samples in terms of all the parameters studied. There was no difference between the cerebral palsy and idiopathic scoliotic values. However, they both differed from the control values, having significantly higher levels of aggregate and larger nonaggregating monomers, but no significant differences in proteoglycan monomer chemistry. Results indicate that idiopathic scoliosis may not be the result of a biochemical alteration in proteoglycan but that curvature per se may lead to an alteration in the proteoglycan composition, particularly in the nucleus pulposis.