Demonstration of chondroitin sulfates degrading endo-beta-glucuronidase activity in rabbit liver.

Reduced chondroitin sulfate was incubated with rabbit liver extracts followed by reduction once more with sodium [3H]borohydride, and then passed through a Sephadex G-100 column. Chondroitin sulfate obtained from the incubation medium at pH 4 was only slightly depolymerized and was highly radioactive. Paper chromatographic analyses showed that glucuronic acid residues became exposed at the reducing terminal of chondroitin sulfate after incubation with the liver extracts. These results suggest that endo-beta-glucuronidase activity which degrades chondroitin sulfate is present in the rabbit liver.