Method for the determination of hexosamines in tissues.

During the course of investigations on the metabolism of hexosamines in animal tissues, absorption spectra of the color produced in the hexosamine method of Elson and Morgan (1) revealed the presence of interfering chromogens. Similar types of interference have been noted in studies on the jelly coat of sea-urchin eggs (2), Neurospora (3), and pineapple plants (4). Hexosamines were found to produce a color with a specific absorption spectrum. This was used as a guide to develop a quantitative method for their separation from interfering chromogens by means of a cation exchange resin. The hexosamine method of Elson and Morgan has been modified to correct for several heretofore undefined and critical variables.