Characterization of polysaccharides of the eggs and adults of Hymenolepis diminuta

Polysaccharides and other complex carbohydrates were released by proteolysis of the chloroform-methanol insoluble residue of 10 day-old worms and eggs of Hymenolepis diminuta. Gas-liquid chromatographic analysis of alditol acetate derivatives of monosaccharides released from the polysaccharides by hydrolysis revealed that in the 10 day-old worm, glucose was the most abundant sugar, followed by galactose, glucosamine, galactosamine, fucose and possibly rhamnose. Mannose was least abundant and xylose was absent. In the egg, glucose and galactose were equally abundant, followed by the same sugars found in 10 day-old worms, and xylose was present. Uronic acid was detected in both fractions by specific chemical tests. None of the saccharide material from eggs and worms was susceptible to degradation by Streptomyces hyaluronidase, chondroitinase AC, and slightly susceptible to chondroitinase ABC, as shown by electrophoretic analysis on composite 2.2% acrylamide-agarose slab gels and 4.5 12.5% polyacrylamide gels before and after enzymatic treatment. One of the gel-separable bands, however, was degradable by both nitrous acid and Flavobacterium heparinase. Both bands from eggs were degradable by nitrous acid. These results suggest that eggs contain heparin and/or heparan sulfate and perhaps dermatan sulfate and that 10 day old worms also have these polyglycans but possibly not chondroitin sulfate or hyaluronic acid.