Abstract
The effect of aging and vitamin A on the pattern of hyaluronic acid, heparitin sulfate, chondroitin sulfate and heparin in rat skin was studied.
The content of non-fat material in skin was increased from 3 months old to 6 months old, and 21 months old rats showed lower values than those in 6 months old rats.
The total mucopolysaccharide has increased from 3.6 mg to 5.0 mg per g of defatted skin when 3 months old rats were fed for additional three months. And no measurable change was observed in the value in 21 months aged rats. The dificiency of vitamin A did not affect the total mucopolysaccharide content in defatted skin of 3.5 months old rats.
The content of chondroitin sulfate and heparin in defatted skin of rat has decreased while that of hyaluronic acid and heparitin sulfate increased as the aging advances. The deficiency of vitamin A showed similar pattern in the distribution of mucopolysaccharide as the effect of aging except heparin which increased in deficient rats.
