Clinical Chemistry, Vol 13, 506-514, Copyright © 1967 by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry

Methanolysis of the Intervertebral Disc

¹ Biochemistry Department, University of California, California College of Medicine, and the Biochemistry and Medicine Departments, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif. 90031.

Methanolysis of intervertebral disc samples at 60° was largely hydrolysis as shown by the absence of methylated derivatives on chromatograms of the reaction products. Extent of the reaction increased with acid strength; the products were the same. Maximum solubilization was about 80% and 50% for hyaline cartilage plate and nucleus pulposus samples, respectively. The results of aqueous acid (hydrolysis) for hyaline cartilage plate paralleled the methanolysis reaction. Nucleus pulposus samples did not show, in the aqueous system, a direct relation between acid strength and extent of reaction: 0.1 N acid solubilized more material than 1.0 N acid. Therefore, methanolysis and hydrolysis reactions may be used for differentiating tissue even though the basis of the "methylation blockade" of certain staining reactions is lost when performed at 60°.