Distribution of Acid Mucopolysaccharides in Inner and Outer Layers of Bovine Aorta

THE presence of aeid niueopolysacoharides (MPS) in the ground substance of the aorta, the matrix in which cellular and fibrous structures are embedded, has been known for some time. Principally, 4 MPS, hyaluronie acid (HA), chondroitin sulfate (CSA) A and B, and more recently, heparitin sulfate have been isolated from bovine aorta and identified." Because the different MPS vary considerably in their chemical structures, compositions, and potential physiologic functions, it was of further interest to investigate the distribution of the compounds in layers of the aorta. These experiments describe the isolation of the MPS from bovine aortas after a division into 2 layers had been achieved and, in addition, present the results of isolation of heparitin sulfate by a method not previously used in studies of this compound.