ASSESSMENT OF GLUCURONOSYL EPIMERISATION OF DERMATAN SULFATE CHAINS IN THE COURSE OF BURNED WOUND HEALING

The objective of this study was to assess the extent of glucuronosyl epimerisation of dermatan sulfate (DS) chains, isolated from the matrix of burned wound bed. Dermatan sulfates were isolated and purified from normal and injured skin of domestic pigs, on days 3, 5, 10, 15, and 21 after the thermal damage. The wounds were treated with Propol T, silver sulfadiazine (SSD), physiological salt solution, and vehicle of Propol T. The isolated DS samples were depolymerised with chondroitinase ABC and chondroitinase B. The assessment of the amount of unsaturated disaccharides, released during DS enzymatic digestion was performed. It was found that in the course of the tissue repair the glucuronosyl epimerisation pattern of DS chains derived from burned wounds was altered as compared with epimerisation of DS isolated from normal skin. Propol T, in contrary to routinely used SSD, exerts a beneficial effect on DS metabolism leading to the formation of iduronate residue number similar to that of normal skin. The obtained results demonstrate that Propol T modulates DS structure resulting in the accelerated repair of burned tissue.