Studies on the Polydispercity and Heterogeneity of Proteokeratan Sulfate from Calf and Porcine Cornea

Abstract

After proteolysis of the calf and porcine cornea with papain 66 (calf) and 56 (hog) polysaccharide-containing fractions were obtained by chromatography on Dowex 1X2 and fractionating precipitation with ethanol (calf) and by chromatography on Dowex 1X2 and CPC[cetylpyridinium chloride]-cellulose (hog). The sulfatation degrees (mol sulfate/mol hexosamine) and MW of 13 peptidokeratan sulfate fractions from calf cornea and of 9 such fractions from porcine cornea were 0.41-1.25 (MW = 3200-21,500), and 0.42-1.41 (MW = 4900-25,600), respectively. Apparently, the sulfatation degree increases more than proportionally with the chain-length.