The physicochemical properties of two mucoids from bovine cervical mucin

Abstract

Sedimentation, viscosity and flow-birefringence measurements have been carried out on 2 samples of bovine cervical mucoid. Anomalous flow-birefringence curves have been found which have been interpreted as indicating molecules of the random-coil form. Sedimentation and viscosity measurements have been used to estimate molecular weights, assuming a random coil having a large number of statistical chain elements. Molecular weights of the order of 4 x 106 have been found for both materials. The specific viscosity of the sample isolated from animals in estrus is about twice that of the sample isolated from pregnant cows, indicating that the estrous mucoid is more expanded than the pregnancy mucoid. The bearing of these data on the physical properties of the native secretion is briefly discussed.