An oligosaccharide component in proteoglycans of articular cartilage.

Two types of sialic acid-containing component are released from articular cartilage proteoglycan monomer (D1) treated with 0.05 M NaOH containing 1 M NaBH4. The smaller component, which has not been described before, contains galactosamine, glucosamine, galactose and sialic acid (Molar ratio 1:1:1:2). It is eluted from ECTEOLA-cellulose with low molarity (0.4 M) sodium formate and has Kav of 0.70 on Bio-gel P30. Its presence on the proteoglycan monomer was demonstrated at all stages of foetal and adult life.