The present study suggests that AGE-RAGE-mediated ROS generation activates TGF-beta-Smad signaling and subsequently induces mesangial cell hypertrophy and fibronectin synthesis by autocrine production of Ang II. This pathway may provide an important link between metabolic and haemodynamic factors in promoting the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy.

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Objective To investigate changes in glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid, were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. The total amount of GAGs was (GAG) profiles in human prostatic tissue. Materials and methods Seventeen human prostatic increased in hyperplastic and cancerous prostates, with the predominant components being DS and Ch-6S samples were examined; five were normal, six hyperplastic and six were cancerous. Prostatic proteoglycans in these specimens. The Ch-S5DS ratio in cancerous prostate was significantly higher than that in normal were extracted with 4 mol/L guanidine-HCl containing protease inhibitors. After digestion of the freeze-dried and BPH tissue (P<0.05). Moreover, chondroitin was increased in hyperplastic prostatic tissue (P<0.01). proteoglycan extract with papain, the prostatic GAGs were purified. Total GAGs were measured by a modified Conclusions These results suggest that an increase in chondroitin levels may be associated with hyperplastic dimethylmethylene blue (DMB) method. Highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used change and an increase in the Ch-S5DS ratio may be related to the development of malignancy. to quantify the extracted GAGs. Results Six types of GAGs, i.e. chondroitin 4-sulphate Keywords Proteoglycan, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), human prostate, high-performance liquid chromatog-(Ch-4S), chondroitin 6-sulphate (Ch-6S), dermatan sulphate (DS), chondroitin, heparan sulphate and raphy (HPLC) [7,8] and paper and thin-layer chromatography [9] have

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