Changes in pyridinoline content of elastin during ontogeny.

It has been shown that, contrary to desmosine and isodesmosine, the content of pyridinoline increases in elastin preparations obtained from rat and bovine aortae and from bovine ligmentum nuchae throughout the whole lifespan. The molar proportion of this cross-linking amino acid is within the range of 0.6 - 2.5 leucine equivalents per 100 amino acid residues.