[Correlation of human cervical ripening and glycoconjugates (glycosaminoglycans and glycoproteins) (author's transl)].

In order to elucidate the role of glycoconjugates on human cervical ripening, glycoconjugates and glycogen obtained from the human non-pregnant cervix uteri in the proliferative phase and secretory phase, and those from the postpartum cervix uteri, were determined chemically. The results were as follows: 1) The water content and the total quantity of glycoconjugates (mg/g dry tissues) of the postpartum cervix uteri were more than those of the non-pregnant cervix uteri. 2) In the fractionations of neutral glycoconjugates, there was a marked decrease of the quantity of glycogen in the postpartum cervix uteri, but in the case of neutral glycopeptides, no difference could be found among the above three tissues. 3) In the fractionations of acidic glycoconjugates, there was a marked increase in the quantities of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate A and C, heparan sulfate and acidic glycopeptides and a slight decrease of dermatan sulfate in the postpartum cervix uteri. Furthermore, in determining the unsaturated disaccharides in the digestion of chondroitin sulfate A and C in the three tissues by chondroitinase AC-II, the appearance of delta Di-4S was 87--90%, while the rest was delta Di-6S. In other words, most of them were made of chondroitin sulfate A. It was estimated that there was almost nothing unsulfated and oversulfated in these carbohydrate chains, because no delta Di-OS and delta Di-DiS were found. Similarly, as for unsaturated disaccharides of the digestion elements of dermatan sulfate by chondroitinase ABC, delta Di-4S and delta Di-6S appeared to the same degree as the above. It was found that dermatan sulfate was made from a hybrid chain combination. But in the postpartum cervix uteri, there was a slight appearance of delta Di-OS. It was suggested that there was slight amount of unsulfated disaccharide unit in the carbohydrate chain.