An approach to experimental scleroderma, using urinary glycosaminoglycans from patients with systemic scleroderma

Abstract

As a result of intraperitoneal injections in mice of crude glycosaminoglycans obtained from the urine of patients with systemic scleroderma, a fibrotic process similar to the intial changes of human scleroderma was frequently observed, especially in the skin and esophagus when the glycosaminoglycans contained a probable variant of heparan sulfate. Furthermore, the scleroderma-like change was also observed, to some extent, in the ultrastructure of collagen fibers and glycosaminoglycans of the skin.