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Keratan sulfate content and articular cartilage maturation during postnatal rabbit growth
Author(s) -
Zirn Jon R.,
Schurman David J.,
Smith R. Lane
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
journal of orthopaedic research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.041
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1554-527X
pISSN - 0736-0266
DOI - 10.1002/jor.1100020205
Subject(s) - keratan sulfate , chondroitin sulfate , cartilage , glycosaminoglycan , chemistry , hyaluronic acid , proteoglycan , articular cartilage , medicine , endocrinology , biochemistry , anatomy , osteoarthritis , pathology , alternative medicine
This article describes the macromolecular changes in keratan sulfate and proteoglycan that occur in rabbit articular cartilage during postnatal development. Articular cartilage glycosaminoglycan from femoral condyles and the tibial plateaus of rabbits at 8, 12, 18, and 26 weeks and 2 years of age were extracted, fractionated, and quantified. The predominant glycosaminoglycan present in articular cartilage at 8 weeks was chondroitin sulfate. During subsequent maturation the relative proportions of keratan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate varied inversely. The greatest increase in the amount of keratan sulfate present in cartilage was observed between 12 and 26 weeks of age. Hyaluronic acid content was measurable at 12 weeks; afterward the amount remained relatively constant with age. Proteoglycans, extracted from 6‐, 12‐, and 22‐week‐old rabbit femoral and tibial cartilage in the presence of protease inhibitors, were analyzed on columns of Sepharose CL‐2B. Cartilage proteoglycans decreased in hydrodynamic size between 12 and 22 weeks, corresponding to the period of maximal change in content of keratan and chondroitin sulfate.