Isolation, identification, and quantitation of glycosaminoglycans synthesized by human gingival fibroblasts in vitro

The glycosaminoglycans synthesized by diploid fibroblasts obtained from healthy human gingivae of three donors were isolated, identified, and quantified. Degradation with specific enzymes identified the glycosaminoglycans as hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, and heparan sulfate; hyaluronic acid predominating. The distribution of the sulfated glycosaminoglycans in the cell layer and the medium was not the same. The cells contained mainly heparan sulfate (48.3%) and the medium mainly dermatan sulfate (47%).