Reducing terminals and molecular weights of glycosaminoglycans in normal human urine.

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Abstract
To elucidate the reducing terminals and the MW of urinary glycosaminoglycans (GAG), the reducing power of the GAG in the acidic subfractions obtained in a previous paper was determined by the methods of Park and Johnson and of Milner and Avigard. Number-average MW was calculated from the value obtained by the Park-Johnson method, according to the equation of Partridge et al. Xylose and hexuronic acid were apparently present at the reducing terminals of the carbohydrate chains of urinary GAG, and 10-65% of the reducing terminals were occupied by the hexuronic acid residues. This finding indicated the exertion of endoglycuronidase activity in the catabolism of the tissue GAG, specifically of chondroitin sulfate isomers. Number-average MW of urinary GAG in the subfractions ranged from 5600-15,500, although most of them ranged between 6000 and 7500.