Proteoglycans from normal and degenerate cartilage of the adult human tibial plateau.

Proteoglycans were extracted from normal and degenerate cartilage of the human tibial plateau. Both areas possessed proteoglycans of similar chemical composition, though the degenerate cartilage contained a greater proportion of molecules of lower buoyant density and enriched in keratan sulfate. There was no evidence for the changes in glycosaminoglycan synthesis that have been described for clinically osteoarthritic cartilage, or for changes in the ability to aggregate with hyaluronic acid.