Urinary excretion of hydroxylysine and its glycosides in normal persons of different ages--influence of maturation.

Basement membrane collagen is relatively rich in hydroxylysine and the glycosides of hydroxylysine, glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine and galactosylhydroxylysine. In this paper a modified procedure for analysis of these substances in urine is described, using a purification-step with the cation-exchange resin Amberlite CG-120 type II and a modified program for amino acid analysis. Values are obtained from 75 healthy persons of different ages ranging from prematurity to adulthood. The influence of maturation is studied. Prematures and young children have a high and rather variable excretion of all components, whereas adults have low and similar excretion rates. Neither the ratio glucosylgalactosylhydroxylysine/galactosylhydroxylysine nor the percentage of glycosylated hydroxylysine can be shown to be age-dependent. These data are important for the study of collagen disorders, especially in childhood.