Of mucopolysaccharides

UDPG was the first of a whole new class of nucleotides, in which the uridine diphosphate group is attached to a monosaccharide. Two important members of the class are uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid, the intermediate in the synthesis of glucuronides and of many other compounds, and uridine diphosphate N-acetylglucosamine which is an intermediate in the synthesis of mucopolysaccharides. Uridine diphosphate muramic acid was isolated by Park (P2) from Staphylococcus aureus... 

In The Chemical Physiology of Mucopolysaccharides, ed. Quintarelli, G., Little Brown, London, pp. 171-187. 

The dendrites on the receptor cells have swellings, the olfactory knobs. These knobs have smooth vesicles that may be open to the mucus covering the epithelium. From each knob extend 1 to 150 cilia, floating in the mucus. The precise number of cilia varies with the species. The rabbit, for example, has 10-12 cilia on each knob. The surrounding mucus consists of mucopolysaccharides, lipids, and phosphatides. The axons of the olfactory receptor cells extend through the cribriform plate and terminate in the olfactory bulb (Fig. 5.1). 

A program in our laboratory on the chemistry of mucopolysaccharides (glycosaminoglycans) has been greatly enhanced by the availability of 13c-NMR. For instance, its application (10,19,... 

Mechanism of Action Lactic acid is an alpha-hydroxy acid that influences hydration, decreases corneocyte cohesion, reduces excessive epidermal keratinlzation in hyper-keratotic conditions, and induces synthesis of mucopolysaccharides and collagen In photodamagedskin. The exact mechanism is not known TherapeuticEffect Increases hydration of the skin. 

Frantatoni JC, Hall CW, Neufeld EF (1968) The defect in Hurler s and Hunter s syndromes faulty degradation of mucopolysaccharides. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 60 699-706... 

Lysozyme (muramidase, mucopeptide JV-acetylmuramylhydrolase) is a widely distributed enzyme which lyses certain bacteria by hydrolysing the / (l-4)-linkage between muramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine of mucopolysaccharides of the bacterial cell wall. 

Goreau, T. F. Histochemistry of mucopolysaccharide-like substances and alkaline phosphatase in Madreporaria. Nature 177, 1029 (1956)... 

While esters of sulfuric acid do not play as central a role in metabolism as do phosphate esters, they occur widely. Both oxygen esters (R-0-S03 , often referred to as O-sulfates) and derivatives of sulfamic acid (R-NH-SOg, N-suIfates) are found, the latter occurring in mucopolysaccharides such as heparin. Sulfate esters of mucopolysaccharides and of steroids are ubiquitous and sulfation is the most abundant known modification of tyrosine side chains. Choline sulfate and ascorbic acid 2-sulfate are also found in cells. Sulfate esters of phenols and many other organic sulfates are present in urine. 

The pathogenesis of glucocorticoid-induced glaucoma is still unknown, but there is reduced outflow, and excessive accumulation of mucopolysaccharides may be a major factor. An association with cataract and papilledema has often been observed. The rise in intraocular pressure is variable in the pediatric study of low dose cited above there was a reversible effect in only two of 23 subjects compared with controls, but in other studies serious increases in pressure have occurred, with a risk of blindness. 

The drop in sulfur content at the mineralizing front is best explained by a loss of mucopolysaccharides prior to or at the onset of phosphate deposition406. ... 

The sclera and the cornea are the toughest and outermost layers of the eye and resist the normal internal pressure of 13 to 19 mmHg. This intraocular pressure (IOP) gives the eye its shape and maintains its dimensions that are necessary for sharp vision. The sclera covers 5/6 of the eye s surface and the cornea the remaining 1/6. Although the principal structural element of both tissues comprises of type 1 collagen fibers, differences in size and orientation of the fibers, degree of hydration, and presence of mucopolysaccharides are responsible for differences in transparency. The avascular cornea receives nourishment from the tear film, the aqueous humor, and the limbal vessels. In contrast, the sclera is vascularized and is supplied by several blood vessels, particularly in the uppermost layers (episclera). 

Nasal mucus. The nasal mucus protects the body against airborne substances. Nasal mucus consists of mucopolysaccharides complexed with sialic acid, sloughed epithelial cells, bacteria, water (95 percent), glycoproteins and lipids (0.5 to 5 percent), mineral salts (0.5 to 1 percent), and free proteins (albumin, immunoglobulins, lysozyme, interferon, lactoferin, etc., 1 percent).13 45 111 112 The surface pH of the nasal mucosa is 5.5 to 6.5.113... 

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