Ascorbic acid and the synthesis of chondroitin sulfate - Kofoed, J.A.; Van B. Robertson, W. (Elsevier)
The requirement for ascorbic acid in the synthesis of sulfated glycosaminoglycans was studied in guinea pigs in which sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis was increased following intravenous injection of papain.Ascorbic acid has no effect on the initial concentration of sulfated glycosaminoglycans in tracheal, nasal and auricular cartilage, nor on the depletion produced by papain (EC 3.4.4.10). The rate of resynthesis measured as net synthesis during 7 days, was significantly decreased in the scorbutic guinea pigs. However, when other animals were restricted to the amount of food eaten by the scorbutic animals, but were given adequate ascorbic acid, the resynthesis was even less than in the scorbutic animals.The incorporation in vitro of [^3^5S]sulfate was greater into cartilage from papain-treated animals than into normal cartilage. This was decreased in scorbutic cartilage but to an even greater extent in cartilage from normal animals on a limited food intake supplemented with ascorbic acid. Incorporation into cartilage of scorbutic guinea pigs given ascorbic acid 24 h before killing them was lower than into scorbutic cartilage.The results are discussed and the conclusions reached that the depression of sulfated glycosaminoglycan synthesis in scurvy is secondary to inanition and that ascorbic acid is not essential for chondroitin 4-sulfate synthesis in cartilage.
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0304-4165(66)90315-1
Keywords: W; V; WW-YZ; U