In studies performed on male Wistar rats, castration induced atrophy of the prostate with a marked increase in the uronic acid content. The administration of testosterone propionate to castrated rats produced opposite effects. Fractionation of the glycosaminoglycans on cellulose microcolumns showed that the changes in uronic acid content in the dorsolateral lobes were due to variations in hyaluronic acid, chondroitin-4-sulfate, and dermatan sulfate, but in the ventral lobes, there were changes in all the chromatographic fractions. There were also changes in the physical properties of proteoglycans. In the ventral lobes, castration induced a wider distribution of molecular weight, increased density, and predominance of lateral chains of greater size. In the dorsolateral lobes, there was a decrease in molecular weight and density of proteoglycans and in the length of lateral chains. Opposite results were obtained when testosterone propionate was given to castrated rats. It is postulated that the effects of androgens upon prostatic growth would depend on an interrelationship between epithelium and stroma mediated by the proteoglycans.

In fibroblasts taken from patients witli Hurler's syndromne and grown in cultlure, dermatan sulfate constituted a larger percentage of the total sulfated glycosaminoglycans than it did in cultured fibroblasts from unaffected individuals. Moreover, the addition of ascorbic acid (vitamnin C) to the culture medium markedly increased the concentration of dermatan sulfate in the Hurler's fibroblasts but not in the normal fibroblasts. The biochemical phenotype of the Hurler's cells persisted during 28 weeks of serial culture.

The intrinsic viscosity of hyaluronic acid in synovial fluid decreases significatively in mild and severe arthritis (24% and 37% respectively). Variation in hyaluronic acid concentration parallels the above results. Chondroitin-6-sulfate can be detected in about 30% of the arthritic fluids.

Isolation and caracterization of glycosaminoglycans were performed in uteri and salivary glands of castrated and normal female rats and in castrated female rats receiving daily doses of 1 or 10 μg of oestradiol benzoate. The uronic acid concentration in the uterus was increased by castration and decreased by the administration of oestradiol benzoate but due to the changes in uterine weight the uronic acid content of each uterus was decreased by castration and increased by oestradiol benzoate. Chromatographic separation of glycosaminoglycans was performed on cellulose microcolumns. The concentration of each glycosaminoglycan fraction was increased by castration and decreased by oestradiol benzoate. No changes in the uronic acid concentration or total glandular content or in the chromatographic distribution of the fractions were found in the parotid, submaxillary or retrolingual glands.

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