Distribution of Mucopolysaccharides in the Human Vascular Tree

Abstract

THREE major groups of mucopolysaccharides—hyaluronic acid, heparitin sulphates, and the chondroitin sulphates—occur in the human aorta, and the proportion, of hyaluronic acid to chondroitin sulphate has been shown to decrease with age^1–3. There has, however, been little work on the changes in mucopolysaccharide composition in the same individual from, one artery to another, and one reason for this is the difficulty of adapting existing techniques to the examination of small samples of tissue. Yet this approach is of interest, because all arteries do not behave in the same way with increasing age; some regularly develop atheroma, others do not.