Gas chromatographic analysis of lens monosaccharides

Gas-liquid chromatography was employed to determine free monosaccharides in human, rat, and South American rodent Octodon degu lenses. In addition to D-glucose, D-fructose, sorbitol and myo-inositol, which were previously known to be components of lens tissue, glycerol, erythritol, threitol, ribitol, xylitol, and mannitol were also detected in the lenses of these three species. The concentrations in lenses of these three species were in the following ranges: glycerol 1.2 to 40 mumol/gm wet tissue; myo-inositol 4 to 25; and glucose, fructose, and remaining alditols 0.01 to 1.4/mumol/gm. The method is described and its applicability to analyses of free monosaccharides in other animal tissues is discussed.