Evidence for a mechanical coupling of glycoprotein microfibrils with collagen fibrils in Wharton's jelly

Wharton's jelly of human umbilical cord is known to contain hyaluronic acid and sulphated glycosaminoglycans (probably as proteoglycans) immobilized in an insoluble collagen fibril network. A secondary, independent, insoluble network based on glycoprotein microfibrils of 13 nm diameter and interpenetrated with the collagen network has now been found in amounts corresponding to 9% of the weight of collagen. Elastin, however, is absent. Tissue slices placed in physiological buffer swell to two-fold their in vivo volume. This is due to the influence of the polysaccharides since treatment with either testicular hyaluronidase, Streptomyces hyaluronidase or chondroitinase ABC, causes their quantitative removal and abolishes the swelling tendency of tissue. Tissue so treated remains close to its in vivo volume indicating that for this state the fibrillar network, overall, is in its relaxed unstressed configuration. Subsequent treatment with a protease causes the degradation of the glycoprotein microfibril network and a two-fold increase in tissue volume while treatment with bacterial collagenase, resulting in the solubilization of 46% of the collagen, causes only a slight deswelling. These results suggest that the unstressed configuration of the network system at the in vivo volume of tissue is due to the collagen network being held in compression by the microfibril network. With intact tissue protease digestion with trypsin, in addition, causes a preferential release of sulphated glycosaminoglycans. Hyaluronic acid, however, remains largely immobilized.