Abstract
Summary
Following intravenous administration of papain to fully mature female rabbits, there is a decrease of borderline significance in the amount of extractable chondro-mucoprotein (CMP) in the cartilage matrix of the ear. In the adult male animals there is a statistically significant increase in the extractable CMP. Highly significant differences were also found in the amount of CMP between male and female animals 72 hours after injection of papain. The overall effectiveness of papain in causing chemical changes in cartilage matrix appears to decrease as the animals mature. Similarly, the maximal response to papain, which in baby rabbits occurs 24 hours after the injection and in adolescent animals at 48 hours, is delayed further until 72 hours post papain in the adult. The reason for this delay is believed to be decreased permeability of the cartilage matrix with aging.
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