328 ALBERT DORFMAN AND SARA SCHILLER 



glucuronidic bond is i— *3, a pattern which is followed in the three chon- 

 droitin sulphuric acids and hyaluronic acid [i]. The sulphate in chondroitin 

 sulphuric acid-A is esterified at C-4 of the acetylhexosamine residue 

 [2, 3]. The studies of Mathews and Lozaityte [4] indicate that in cartilage 



i 



Fig. I. The structure of the disaccharide unit of chondroitin sulphuric acid-A. 



chondroitin sulphuric acid-A exists as coiled linear chains of molecular 

 weight 50 000 attached to a protein core forming a macromolecule with a 

 minimum molecular weight of 4 000 000. The state of other mucopoly- 

 saccharides is less well known although there is evidence that hyaluronic 



TABLE I 



Mucopolysaccharides of Connective Tissues 



acid may exist in chains of considerably greater molecular weight [5]. The 

 presence of anionic groups along the chain imparts the capacity to bind 

 small cations in a manner similar to other polyanionic macromolecules 

 such as resins. 



The known acid mucopolysaccharides, together with their component 

 sugars, are listed in Table I. Hyaluronic acid consists of alternating units 

 of N-acetylglucosamine and glucuronic acid and contains no sulphate. 

 Although the extent and nature of the linkage between hyaluronic acid 



