Nature of the dietary carbohydrate and metabolism of glycosaminoglycans and glycoproteins in rats.

The polysaccharide from blackgram (Phaseolus mungo) has been previously reported to cause lower cholesterol, phospholipids and triglyceride levels in rats fed either low-or high-fat diets containing cholesterol. The effect of this polysaccharide fraction as compared to that of glucose and sucrose on the metabolism of glycosaminoglycans and glycoprotein has been studied. The pattern of change in the levels of different glycosaminoglycans varied in the different tissues. Sucrose fed animals gave lower levels of sulphated glycosaminoglycans in the aorta and liver. The polysaccharide and glucose fed animals gave comparable values in the aorta except in the case of chondroitin sulfate B which was higher and heparin lower in the polysaccharide group. L-glutamine:D-fructose-6-phosphate amino transferase and UDPG dehydrogenase were lowest in the sucrose fed animals and highest in the polysacchride group with the animals in the glucose group showing intermediate values, but UDPG pyrophosphorylase, while highest in the polysaccharide group, was similar in the glucose and sucrose groups. Some of the degrading enzymes studied-beta-glucuronidase, hyaluronidase and aryl sulphatase-were highest in the sucrose group and generally lowest in the polysaccharide group. Levels of 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphosulphate, the biological sulphating agent, the sulphate activating system which includes ATP sulphurylase and APS kinase and sulphotransferase activity were also lowest in the sucrose fed group and highest in the polysaccharide group. The glycoprotein concentration was highest in the liver and lowest in the kidney in the sucrose group.