Concentration and Distribution of Polysaccharides in Human Cortical Bone and the Dentine of Teeth

Abstract

THE probable presence of a sulphated polysaccharide in bone has been recognized for many years¹. Recently, attention has been redirected to the subject by the isolation² of a substance claimed to be identical with chondrontin sulphate, which is known to be one of the principal constituents of cartilage^1,3, from dentine of human teeth. As a basis for future work on the organic matrix of bone and teeth it seems to be of importance to know: (1) the order of concentration of the mucopolysaccharides in them ; (2) the changes, if any, which take place with age ; (3) the distribution of polysaccharide. The present work is a contribution to problems (1) and (3). Insufficient samples have yet been analysed to give an answer to point (2), but the following is a preliminary summary of the results so far obtained.