THE METABOLISM OF MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES IN ANIMALS: THE EFFECT OF CORTISONE AND HYDROCORTISONE ON RAT SKIN1

Abstract

THE administration of cortisone is reported to delay the formation of connective tissue in wounds of rabbits (1) while prolonged percutaneous application of cortisone and hydrocortisone to rats causes regressive changes in the dermal connective tissue (2). Lay ton (3) found that sulfate fixation in the skin of intact rats is inhibited by cortisone administration. Autoradiographs show a considerably smaller S³⁵ content in the skin of the cortisone-treated rat than of the control animal (4). The results of Lay ton (3) and of Bostrom and Odeblad (4), which are based on the use of S³⁵, imply that the formation of sulfated mucopolysaccharides is inhibited in the skin of cortisone-treated animals. While such data might be related to chondroitinsulfuric acid (CSA) synthesis, the latter investigators (4) claimed a retarding effect of cortisone only on the exchange of the ester sulfate group of the CSA molecule.