Incorporation and disappearance of sulfate in different regions of mouse and rat costal cartilage in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract

AbstractA rapid and simple method for liquid scintillation counting of 33S‐sulfate in biological tissues is described. Sulfate incorporation per mg dry weight into selected lateral, medial and intermediate regions of ribs was studied using costal cartilage from rats and mice. In vitro, cartilage pieces embracing the osteochondral junction had 2–4 times larger incorporation rate than the remaining homogeneous parts of the ribs, both if entire rib cages or stripped and diced cartilage were incubated. After in vivo injection to rats and mice the incorporation rates of sulfate into the region of the osteochondral junction was 2.6 times that found in “resting” cartilage in rats and 4.4 times in mice. The 35S‐sulfate uptake in the ribs per mg dry cartilage diminished in the caudal direction. Growth of the chest cage was mainly a longitudinal growth of the bony segments. Marked differences in the disappearance rates of previously incorporated sulfate were found in different regions along the rib. Rapid sulfate disappearance was found in the bony segment which, however, had incorporated only one seventh of the amount per mg taken up by “resting” cartilage. The “resting” cartilage segments exhibited a steady slow disappearance rate for sulfate and the osteochondral junction region consisting of several differently active tissues showed a rapid sulfate disappearance in the beginning followed by a slow clearance after 2 weeks similar to that of “resting” cartilage. The necessity of careful selection of costal cartilage samples with respect to regional differences is emphasized.