ABSTRACT
Objective To approach the relationship betwe en glycosaminoglycan metabolism in cartilages and pathogenesis of KBD.Methods Rhesus monkey was fed with grains and water from KBD endemic area for 18 months to produce the animal model with KBD . The glyc osaminoglycans in the monkey cartilage were extracted by the improved Dish method of Bitter. Purified glycosaminoglycans were digested with chondroitinaseABC, and the enzymatic digests were analyzed by HPLC. Results Comparing with those of the control, the glycos aminoglycans in the head of femur, tibia plateau and costal cartilage from the Rhesus monkey fed with grains and water from KBD endemic area were undersulfated . Decreased unsaturated 4-sulphated disaccharide (△Di-4S) from the glycosa minoglycans in the head of femur and tibia plateau and decreased unsaturated 6- sulphated disaccharide (△Di-6S) from the glycosaminoglycans in the costal cart ilage were discovered.Conclusions Detrimental factors in grains and water from KBD endemic area cause undersulfate of the cartilages glycosaminoglycans from Rhesus monkey. The glycosaminoglycans changes have a direct bearing on the patho logical alterations in morphology on the cartilages from the animal model with K BD.