Inhibition of hyaluronan uptake in lymphatic tissue by chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan

Abstract

Afferent lymph vessels entering the popliteal lymph nodes of sheep were infused with [3H]acetyl-labelled hyaluronan [HA; M(r) of (0.85 - 1.2) x 105] for up to 4 h at a rate of 17.4 - 23.1 μg/h. As much as 22.8 μg (99%) of infused [3H]HA was taken up by the node per h and degraded. During this interval it was observed that infused HA polymers of higher M(r) were absorbed by the node to a greater degree than those of lower M(r). When proteoglycan monomer (PG; M(r) 5 x 105; 400 μg of hexuronic acid/h) was infused concurrently with [3H]HA, the absolute amount of radioactivity appearing in efferent lymph (i.e. labelled material not absorbed by the node) increased, whereas the amount of labelled m..