Collective sampling of intact anionic polysaccharide components and application in quantitative determination by LC–MS

Anionic polysaccharides, such as glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and alginate, readily undergo source-induced fragmentation when analyzed by electrospray mass spectrometry with the use of high source cone voltage. The dissociation chemistry converts all components of a polysaccharide into a small set of structurally characteristic small saccharides. This chemistry enables the collective detection of a polysaccharide through the detection of one or more small saccharides. This ability, combined with the elution of polysaccharides as relatively compact bands using ion-pairing reverse phase liquid chromatography, created a unique opportunity for the development of LC–MS methods suitable for the quantitative analysis of intact anionic polysaccharides. Feasibility of this approach is demonstrated with a mixture of heparin, chondroitin sulfate A, and alginate.

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► Collective detection of all components of a polysaccharide by mass spectrometry.
► Separation and elution of polysaccharides as compact bands by ion-pairing reverse phase liquid chromatography.
► LC–MS quantitation of intact polysaccharides.