A semi-quantitative micromethod for the determination of free glycosaminoglycans in serum. Results from studies on serum of healthy children of various age and patients affected by mucopolysaccharidosis.

A method is presented for the determination of free glycosaminoglycan (GAG) concentration in as little as 30 microliter serum. By filtration of the serum through DEAE-cellulose paper, the free GAG fraction is selectively adsorbed and concentrated on a circular area of 15.9 mm2; these GAG spots are stained with Alcian Blue. The relationship between the amounts of adsorbed GAG and the optical density of the Alcian Blue spots is linear with a certain range; e.g. for chondroitin sulfate (mixed isomers), from 0.25 to 1.00 micrograms. With this method--which we will refer to as the "DEAE Alcian Blue" method--we estimated the free GAG concentration in sera of individuals of various ages including newborns.