Distribution of chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate in normal and inflamed human gingivae.

The effect of inflammation on the distribution of chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate proteoglycans was assessed after normal and inflamed human gingivae were stained with monoclonal antibodies against these extracellular matrix macromolecules. The tissues were obtained following periodontal surgery and reacted with specific antibodies after pre-treatment with chondroitinase ACII or chondroitinase ABC, and staining was visualized by the immunoperoxidase technique. The results indicated that these two proteoglycans were present in both the 4-sulfated and 6-sulfated isomeric forms. While chondroitin sulfate appeared to be uniformly distributed throughout the connective tissue, dermatan sulfate showed greater intensity of staining in the areas immediately subjacent to the epithelium. Positive staining for chondroitin sulfate was noted in the intercellular spaces of the epithelium. In inflamed tissues, there was significant staining associated with 4-sulfated dermatan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate, but this had lost the structured pattern of staining noted in normal sections. The 6-sulfated isomeric forms were greatly reduced in inflamed tissues and tended to show a predilection to be localized within the perivascular tissues. In the inflamed tissues, there was intense staining for chondroitin sulfate associated with the infiltrating inflammatory cells. These findings corroborate earlier biochemical studies on normal and inflamed gingival tissues. The specific tissue localization of dermatan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate in tissues damaged by inflammation indicates that, as opposed to the large loss of collagenous material noted during inflammation, there is not a corresponding large loss of proteoglycan. Indeed, at specific inflammatory foci, the intensity of staining for these macromolecules may intensify.