PROBLEMS IN ANALYSIS OF URINARY MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDE EXCRETION

In a study of polysaccharide excretion in patients with mucopoly-saccharidoses large differences in yield as well as pattern, depending on the assay procedure used, were observed. When urines with high creatinine values were not dialyzed prior to polysaccharide precipitation with CTAB, large amounts of heparitin sulfate remained in solution and were therefore lost to analysis. On the other hand, when urines were routinely dialyzed considerable losses of chondroitin sulfate B appeared to occur. Both factors can lead to serious errors in mucopolysaccharide analysis and significantly affect any attempt to correlate disease classification with urinary excretion pattern. An improved method has been proposed and investigators are advised to check for possible losses in the urine of individual patients rather than to rely on a general method. © 1969.