Effects of glycosaminoglycan polysulfate on extracellular matrix metabolism in human skin cells.

The effects of chondroitin polysulfate (CPS), a semi-synthetic oversulfated chondroitin sulfate, on the metabolism of extracellular matrix in human skin cells were examined. CPS accelerated the production of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in human dermal fibroblasts in a dose dependent manner (0.1-3.0 micrograms/ml), but did not modulate the production of noncollagenous protein and collagen, or [3H]-thymidine incorporation into DNA. However, higher concentrations (> 10 micrograms/ml) of CPS suppressed the [3H]-thymidine uptake by fibroblasts. More than 80% of total synthesized GAGs were found to be hyaluronate, whereas CPS did not alter their composition. These results indicated that CPS preferentially enhances the production of GAGs in human dermal fibroblasts, and that GAGs and DNA synthesis in the fibroblasts are independently regulated. Furthermore, CPS might be a unique material able to maintain the level of GAGs in the human skin.