Development of the biochemical and morphological changes induced by administration of a beta-xyloside to chick embryos.

4-Methylumbelliferyl beta-D-xyloside was administered to 9-day-old chick embryos, and the morphological and chemical changes in the embryo were followed daily. Increases in wet weight, Na and Cl content, and visible edema were detectable at 10 days and fully apparent at 11 days. Dry weight increased to the same extent in control and treated embryos for four days, but then diverged. The degree of sulfation of chondroitin sulfate was slightly less in treated than control embryos at 10 days, and reached a steady low value at 11 days. Analysis of glycosaminoglycans in skin, muscle, and aorta showed an increase in chondroitin and its sulfates in the two former tissues but not the latter. In muscle and aorta, the degree of sulfation of chondroitin sulfate was markedly reduced; but in skin the results suggested a more complex picture in which the normal metabolism of glycosaminoglycans was altered. A possible physiological role is suggested for chondroitin sulfate in embryonic soft tissues.