Isolation and characterization of glycosaminoglycans in brain of different species

The uronic acid-containing glycosaminoglycans present in the brains of rat, monkey, chicken, sheep and rabbit were isolated into various fractions by combining the cetyl pyridinium procedure and DEAE-Sephadex column chromatography. The analyses of the fractions show that hyaluronic acid, chondroitin-4-sulphate, chondroitin-6-sulphate, heparan sulphate and a testicular hyaluronidase-resistant galactosamine-containing GAG are present in the brain of all the species studied. Hyaluronic acid is the major GAG (33-41 per cent). Chondroitin-4-sulphate (19-35 per cent), and heparan sulphate (11-19 per cent), are the next prominent GAGs, in all the species except chicken. The results indicate the similarity in the pattern of GAGs in the brain of all the species