THE MUCOPOLYSACCHARIDES OF HUMAN SKIN

Abstract

The mean values and standard deviations for the concentrations of the hyaluronic acid and chondroitin sulphuric acid fractions isolated from 11 specimens of human skin were 24.5 ± 5.7 and 26.2 ± 4.7 mgm. per 100 gm. of fresh tissue, respectively.The individual differences in the concentrations of these substances were masked by the technical errors. The small variations in moisture and ash content of the skin did not contribute appreciably to the uncertainty of the concentration values. The purity of the products, determined by their amino sugar content, approximated 60%, which value compared favorably with those obtained by other workers.The content of hexosamine and uronic acid identified both fractions as acid mucopolysaccharides. The release of reducing substances, including N-acetyl hexosamine, from the hyaluronic acid fraction by hyaluronidase paralleled the action of the enzyme upon hyaluronate from umbilical cord. The chondroitin sulphuric acid fraction, which was relatively resistant to the action of hyaluronidase, was assumed to be identical with the chondroitin sulphatelike substance that Meyer and Chaffee isolated from pig skin.