Biochemical studies of otosclerosis: urinary acid mucopolysaccharides.

Abstract

Twenty-four hour urine samples, collected from thirty-six otosclerotic and thirty-eight non-otosclerotic male patients, were assayed for hexuronic acid (an index of total acid mucopolysaccharide content). The urines were electrophoresed in order to identify the individual acid mucopolysaccharides. No differences in total acid mucopolysaccharide excretion were observed to occur between otosclerotic and non-otosclerotic patients. The individual mucopolysaccharides comprising the total fraction were identical in the two groups; and no abnormal components were found in any of the samples, otosclerotic or non-otosclerotic. Thus, it may be concluded that changes in the ground substance, demonstrated histochemically and postulated to occur in the pathogenesis of otosclerosis, are not reflected in the urinary excretion of acid mucopolysaccharides. This would indicate that these changes are confined to the otosclerotic focal areas and are not part of the generalized mesenchymopathy with which otosclerosis is believed to be associated.