The effect of hypophysectomy and growth hormone on S35 fixation in cartilage.

THE studies of Dziewiatkowski et al. (1949), Layton (1949), Layton et al. (1952) and Dziewiatkowski (1952, 1953) have demonstrated that radioactive sulfur, S35, is readily fixed into connective tissue, eapecially cartilage, of man, rats and mice. Cartilage is many times more active in rate of sulfur fixation than are other tissues. By isolating chondroitin sulf ate S35O4-, intraperitoneally, Dziewiatkowski (1951) and Bostrom (1952) showed that S35 is incorporated into chondroitin sulfate, the essential polysaccharide of cartilage. This sulfur uptake is a vital process since boiled cartilage shows no such activity nor is there a noteworthy uptake of S35 when Na2S35O4 is added to pure chondroitin sulfuric acid alone (Bostrom and Mansson, 1952). In view of the notable influence of the growth hormone of the pituitary body on the growth of cartilage (Becks et al., 1949) knowledge of the effects of this principle on the metabolism of cartilage becomes essential.