GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS OF INTERVERTEBRAL DISC TISSUES IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS

Idiopathic scoliosis is manifested by lateral deformation of the spine in children during a period of active growth. The pathogenetic mechanism of scoliosis is associated with changes in molecule structure of proteoglycans (PG ), one of the main extracellular matrix components of the vertebral cartilage. The purpose of the study is to investigate PG composition in vertebral growth plates in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. The following peculiarities are revealed: 1 -major part of PG is not extractable from the tissue under dissociative conditions and, in contrast to normal, can be extracted only after tissue hydrolysis with papain; 2 basic part of PG glycosaminoglycans contains keratansulfate, which disaccharide units are poorly modified; 3 these specified peculiarities of PG are most pronounced on a concave side of spine deformation; 4 quantitative and qualitative changes in PG structure of vertebral growth plates are the factors causing the failure of growth processes in a concave side of spine curvature.