Biodegradabilities of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (GlcNAc)-(1) and chitobiose-substituted (2) poly(vinyl alcohol)s (PVA)s in a soil Suspension (pH 6.5) were investigated at 25 degreesC for 40 days. Biochemical oxygen demand of I with a degree of substitution of 0.2-0.3 (DP = 430-480) was higher than that of PVA under the degradation condition. Size exclusion chromatography, H-1 NMR, and Fourier-transform infrared measurements of the recovered sample indicated that biodegradation of the PVA main chain was accelerated by partial glycosidation of hydroxyl groups in PVA. Similar acceleration was observed in a PVA/GlcNAc (50:50, w/w) mixture. Microbes which relate with degradation of the glycosidated polymers were grown in a culture medium including the soil suspension and the polymer as the carbon source. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and IR measurements indicated that a cell-free extract derived from GlcNAc-substituted PVA was different from that in the PVA/GlcNAc mixture. The results suggested that the PVA main chain in GlcNAc-substitLited PVA was cleaved by a different microorganism or via a mechanism different from that in the mixture. Chitobiose-substituted PVA 2 showed more enhanced acceleration, indicating that the sugar length influenced the degradability.