Composition of acidic glycosaminoglycans in human term placenta blood vessels

The composition of acidic glycosaminoglycans in pooled blood vessels, mostly of fetal origin, from a normal human term placenta was investigated by a series of procedures consisting of chromatography on a cetyl pyridinium chloride-cellulose column, cellulose acetate electrophoresis, susceptibility to testicular hyaluronidase and thin layer chromatography of the products of digestion with bacterial chondroitinases. The results indicate the presence of hyaluronic acid (36%), chondroitin-6-sulfate (27%), dermatan sulfate (21%), heparan sulfate (8%) and chondroitin-4-sulfate (8%). Several of the fractions obtained from the cetyl pyridinium chloride-cellulose column exhibited anticoagulant activity, which might be physiological importance for the maintainance of the fluidity of the intensively circulating placental blood.