Separation and characteristics of different mucopolysaccharides from bovine trachea cartilage

Bovine trachea cartilage may be used as a source of mucopolysaccharides (MPS) for medical and cosmetic purposes. The content of MPS in bovine cartilage ranged from 10 to 11%, on a dry weight basis. Grade MPS isolation involved hydrolysis of the tissue with papain at 60 °C for 24 h at a tissue to enzyme solution ratio of 1:3 (w/v), separation of enzyme and some peptides with trichloroacetic acid and subsequent precipitation of MPS with ethanol. The MPS contained 54% of polysaccharides and about 27% of residual peptides. The crude MPS were purified and separated into four fractions by precipitation with ethanol at concentrations in reaction media of 20, 30, 40 and 66% (v/v). These fractions contributed 88, 16.5, 1.5 and 8%, respectively, to the hexosamines present in crude MPS. Total MPS recovery in all fractions was 71% of crude MPS weight. The main components of fractions I, II and IV were chondroitin sulphates, hyaluronic acid, and keratosulphates, respectively. However, fraction III contained 1.6% of total MPS of an unidentified polysaccharide.