Chondroitinase AC from Flavobacterium heparinum is an enzyme that cleaves sulfated and non-sulfated polysaccharide chains with (1-4) linkages between hexosamines and glucuronic acid residues, by an elimination mechanism. The resulting oligosaccharide products are mainly disaccharides with unsaturated uronic acids. Chondroitinase AC specifically degrades chondroitin sulfates A and C, but not chondroitin sulfate B (dermatan sulfate).
Chondroitinase AC has been applied to the analysis of chondroitin sulfate in commercial samples such as dietary supplements.
Highly purified to remove interferring β-glucuronidase and protease activities for use in the hydrolysis of chondroitin sulfate pror to HPLC analysis.
Other Notes
1 unit is defined as the amount of enzyme that will liberate 1.0 μmole per minute of unsaturated disaccharides from chondroitin sulfate A at pH 6.7 at 37 °C as measured by the change in A232. The εμΜ for the reaction product Δ-Di-4S (chondroitin sulfates A and B) is 5.1 and 5.5 for Δ-Di-6S (chondroitin sulfate C).
