Proteinpolysaccharides from human articular and costal cartilage.

Abstract

Using a simplified procedure for isolating the proteinpolysaccharides (PP) from human cartilage and separating them into 2 fractions (PP-H and PP-L), these fractions from humam articular (knee joint) and costal cartilages were studied in individuals from 0-70 years of age. Between children (0 and 12 years) and adults (17-73 years), there is a sharp drop in water content and the ratio of PP-L to PP-H of products from costal and probably articular cartilage. The composition of PP-L and PP-H is the same from articular and costal cartilage. There is a clear difference in the composition of PP-L from children and adults, with the latter having higher protein, hexose, and sialate contents, and a lower uronate content. There are similar but smaller changes in protein and uronate content (17-38) and old adults (50-73). There is a parallel but less marked difference in the composition of PP-H from children and adults. Both human PP-H and PP-L differ from the corresponding products from bovine nasal cartilage in their much higher content of protein and keratan sulfate. Human PP-L was separated into 3 fractions by the use of lanthanum. The ratio of chondroitin sulfate to keratan sulfate does not deviate widely from 1.5 in most of these fractions.