Compositional analysis of chondroitin/dermatan sulfate in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are found in various tissues and are involved in many physiological functions. Since the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) is the most widely used nonhuman primate in biomedical research, an understanding of the compositions of GAGs in their tissues is important. The aim of this study was to determine the content and sulfation pattern of disaccharides contained in several tissues of the rhesus monkey. The chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate (DS) hybrid chain was extracted from several tissues of female and male rhesus monkeys. Compositional analysis was performed after digestion with chondroitinases ABC and ACI to reveal the sulfation pattern of the CS/DS hybrid chain. This study revealed that the major CS/DS disaccharide units present in the tissues were A and C types. The E and iE types were specifically distributed not only in the tracheal tissue but also in gastrointestinal tissues.