Effect of Cortisone upon Chondroitin Sulfate Synthesis by Animal Tissues.

Abstract

1. The experiments described indicated that cortisone inhibits the synthesis of chondroitin sulfate by embryonic and wound tissues maintained in vitro. Graded responses were obtained with graded concentrations of cortisone in the medium. Cortisone was shown to inhibit the synthesis of soluble organic sulfate by heart and skeletal muscle; it had no such effect upon the synthesis of soluble ester sulfate by liver tissue. 2. Concentrations of cortisone which suppressed sulfate fixation, had no apparent effect upon the initial migration of fibroblasts. Cortisone had no effect upon the pulsations of heart tissue. 3. It was suggested that the palliative action of cortisone in the connective tissue diseases may be due to its inhibitory effect upon the synthesis of the chondroitin sulfate moiety of the connective tissue ground substance.