Studies on acid mucopolysaccharides in experimental hyper- and hypoparathyroidism.

Parathyroid hormone has been known to exert an important action not only on bone but also on the ground substance of other connective tissue. The relationship between parathyroid hormone and acid mucopolysaccharide (abbreviated as AMPS), as important constituent of the ground substance was suggested by the theory of Collip (1934) and Selye (1942) as regards the direct action of parathyroid hormone on bone, and by the theory of Gersh and Catchpole (1950), that depolymerization of the ground substance of connective tissue occurs in certain physiological states and in many pathological conditions and that this depolymerization results in the production of soluble glycoproteins from the connective tissue. Engel (1952) explained the elevation of serum mucoid following parathyroid extract (abbreviated as PTE) administration with the appearance of degradation product of bone matrix in the blood stream. Shetlar et al. (1956) also suggested a specific action of PTE on elevation of serum mucoid. Based on the elevation of 35S in the long bone and the other tissues following PTE administration, Bronner (1957) concluded that PTE acts on the AMPS of bone matrix in addition to bone mineral. Although changes in AMPS were already studied upon induction of experimental hyperparathyroidism through PTE administration, no corresponding studie have been made upon restriction of dietary calcium and phosphorus or parathyroidectomy until the present study.