GENERAL HISTOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Ground substance is primarily composed of water and large organic molecules, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), proteoglycans, and glycoproteins.

Detailed explanation-2: -It is transparent or translucent and viscous in composition; the main chemical components of ground substance are large carbohydrates and proteins known as acid mucopolysaccharides, or glycoaminoglycans.

Detailed explanation-3: -For instance, chondroitin sulfate (CS), the most abundant GAG in the body is composed of the repeating disaccharide d-glucuronic acid (GlcA) and N-acetyl-d-galactosamine (GalNAc).

Detailed explanation-4: -The ‘ground substance’ of extracellular matrix is an amorphous gelatinous material. It is transparent, colourless, and fills the spaces between fibres and cells. It actually consists of large molecules called glycosoaminoglycans (GAGs) which link together to form even larger molecules called proteoglycans.

Detailed explanation-5: -The four primary groups of GAGs are classified based on their core disaccharide units and include heparin/heparan sulfate, chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate, keratan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid.