THE EFFECT OF DIGESTION WITH CHONDROITINASES UPON CERTAIN HISTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS OF MUCOSACCHARIDE-CONTAINING TISSUES

Abstract

The effect of digestion with chondroitinases ABC and AC upon certain histochemical reactions of mucosaccharide-containing vertebrate tissues was studied in various species including man. Differing degrees of diminution or abolition in five histochemical staining reactions used for acid mucosaccharides were observed in all of the tissues following digestion with either of the two mucosaccharidases. The histochemical reactions for vicinal hydroxyl groups of mucosaccharides in these tissues were either unaffected or increased following the same digestion procedures. The results of this study indicate the possible usefulness of these two chondroitinases in providing a means of histochemically demonstrating isomeric chondroitin sulfates and related acid mucosaccharides.