Capillary electrophoresis for total glycosaminoglycan analysis

Recent advances in microscale separation techniques for glycome analysis

The glycomic analysis holds significant appeal due to the diverse roles that glycans and glycoconjugates play, acting as modulators and mediators in cellular interactions, cell/organism structure, drugs, energy sources, glyconanomaterials, and more. The glycomic analysis relies on liquid-phase separation technologies for molecular purification, separation, and identification. As a miniaturized form of liquid-phase separation technology, microscale separation technologies offer various advantages such as environmental friendliness, high resolution, sensitivity, fast speed, and integration capabilities. For glycan analysis, microscale separation technologies are continuously evolving to address the increasing challenges in their unique manners. This review discusses the fundamentals and applications of microscale separation technologies for glycomic analysis. It covers liquid-phase separation technologies operating at scales generally less than 100 µm, including capillary electrophoresis, nanoflow liquid chromatography, and microchip electrophoresis. We will provide a brief overview of glycomic analysis and describe new strategies in microscale separation and their applications in glycan analysis from 2014 to 2023.

Monitoring the stability of heparin: NMR evidence for the rearrangement of sulfated iduronate in phosphate buffer

Heparin, a major anticoagulant drug, comprises a complex mixture of motifs. Heparin is isolated from natural sources while being subjected to a variety of conditions but the detailed effects of these on heparin structure have not been studied in depth. Therefore, the result of exposing heparin to a range of buffered environments, ranging pH values from 7 to 12, and temperatures of 40, 60 and 80 °C were examined. There was no evidence of significant N-desulfation or 6-O-desulfation in glucosamine residues, nor of chain scission, however, stereochemical re-arrangement of α-L-iduronate 2-O-sulfate to α-L-galacturonate residues occurred in 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 12/80 °C. The results confirm the relative stability of heparin in environments like those during extraction and purification processes; on the other hand, the sensitivity of heparin to pH 12 in buffered solution at high temperature is highlighted, providing an important insight for heparin manufacturers.

[Advances in heparin structural analysis by chromatography technologies]

Heparin （Hp） is the most widely used anticoagulant drug in the clinics， with an annual global output of over 10 billion dollars. Hp， a member of the glycosaminoglycans （GAGs）， is prepared from porcine intestinal mucosa via extraction， separation， and purification. Hp is a linear polysaccharide with repeating disaccharide units. Low-molecular-weight heparins （LMWHs） are depolymerized from Hp via chemical or enzymatic degradation. Compared with Hp， LMWHs exhibit less bleeding side effect， milder immunogenicity， and higher bioavailability when injected subcutaneously. In general， Hps， including LMWHs， are high complex drugs with large molecular weights （MWs）， inhomogeneous MW distributions， and structural heterogeneity， including different degrees and locations of sulfonation， and unique residues generated from different production processes. Thus， developing efficient analytical methods to elucidate the structures of Hps and characterize or quantitate their properties is extremely challenging. Unfortunately， this problem limits their quality control， production optimization， clinical safety monitoring， and new applications. Research has constantly sought to elucidate the complicated structures of Hp drugs. Among the structural analysis and quality control methods of Hp currently available， chromatographic methods are the most widely studied and used. However， no literature thoroughly summarizes the specific applications of chromatographic methods in the structural analysis， manufacturing process， and quality control of Hp drugs. This paper systematically organizes and describes recent research progresses of the chromatographic methods used to analyze Hp drugs， including the identification and composition of monosaccharides， disaccharides， oligosaccharides， and polysaccharides. The applications， innovations， and limitations of these chromatographic methods are also summarized in this review. The insights obtained in this study will help production and quality control personnel， as well as drug researchers， obtain a deeper understanding of the complex structures of Hp drugs. This paper also provides a comprehensive reference for the structural analysis and quality control of Hps， proposes ideas for the development of new quality control methods， and lays a strong foundation for the in-depth structural elucidation of Hp drugs.

The effect of intravenous trehalose administration in a patient with multiple sulfatase deficiency

Introduction

We describe the case of a female child with multiple sulfatase deficiency (MSD) who received intravenous (IV) trehalose (15 g/week) for 3 months.

Methods

The efficacy of trehalose was evaluated by comparing serum biomarkers, a quality-of-life questionnaire (HRQoL), and imaging (brain MRI and ultrasonography of liver and spleen) at weeks 0 (W0) and 12 (W12).

Results

The improvement in quality of life assessments along with a slight decrease in the spleen dimensions were observed after 3-month intervention.

Conclusions

Future research with a larger MSD population and a longer-term follow-up is warranted to determine whether trehalose can improve MSD patient health and clinical outcomes.

The structures and applications of microbial chondroitin AC lyase

As an important glycosaminoglycan hydrolase, chondroitin lyases can hydrolyze chondroitin sulfate (CS) and release disaccharides and oligosaccharides. They are further divided into chondroitin AC, ABC, and B lyases according to their spatial structure and substrate specificity. Chondroitin AC lyase can hydrolyze chondroitin sulfate A (CS-A), chondroitin sulfate C (CS-C), and hyaluronic acid (HA), making it an essential biocatalyst for the preparation of low molecular weight chondroitin sulfate, analysis of the structure of the chondroitin sulfate, treatment of spinal cord injury, and purification of heparin. This paper provides an overview of reported chondroitin AC lyases, including their properties and the challenges faced in industrial applications. Up to now, although many attempts have been adopted to improve the enzyme properties, the most important factors are still the low activity and stability. The relations between the stability of the enzyme and the spatial structure were also summarized and discussed. Also perspectives for remodeling the enzymes with protein engineering are included.

Recent advances in biotechnology for heparin and heparan sulfate analysis

Heparan sulfate (HS) is a class of linear, sulfated, anionic polysaccharides, called glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), which present on the mammalian cell surfaces and extracellular matrix. HS GAGs display a wide range of critical biological functions, particularly in cell signaling. HS is composed of repeating units of 1 → 4 glucosidically linked uronic acid and glucosamine residues. Heparin, a pharmacologically important version of HS, having higher sulfation and a higher content of iduronic acid than HS, is a widely used clinical anticoagulant. However, due to their heterogeneity and complex structure, HS and heparin are very challenging to analyze, limiting biological studies and even resulting in safety concerns in their therapeutic application. Therefore, reliable methods of structural analysis of HS and heparin are critically needed. In addition to the structural analysis of heparin, its concentration in blood needs to be closely monitored to avoid complications such as thrombocytopenia or hemorrhage caused by heparin overdose. This review summarizes the progress in biotechnological approaches in the structural characterization of HS and heparin over the past decade and includes the development of the ultrasensitive approaches for detection and measurement in biological samples.

Review: Advances in preparation of chitooligosaccharides with heterogeneous sequences and their bioactivity

Chitooligosaccharides has attracted increasing attention due to their diverse bioactivities and potential application. Previous studies on the bioactivity of chitooligosaccharides were mostly carried out using a mixture. The structure-function relationship of chitooligosaccharides is not clear. Recently, it is confirmed that chitooligosaccharides with different degrees of polymerization play different roles in many bioactivities. However, heterogeneous chitooligosaccharides with a single degree of polymerization is still a mixture of many uncertain sequences and it is difficult to determine which structure is responsible for biological effects. Therefore, an interesting and challenging field of studying chitooligosaccharides with heterogeneous sequences has emerged. Herein, we reviewed the current methods for preparing heterogeneous chitooligosaccharides, including chemical synthesis, separation techniques and enzymatic methods. Advances in the bioactivities of chitooligosaccharides with heterogeneous sequences are also reviewed.

High-performance capillary electrophoresis to determine intact keratan sulfate and hyaluronic acid in animal origin chondroitin sulfate samples and food supplements

Chondroitin sulfate is extracted from animal cartilaginous tissues and is commercialized as active principle against osteoarthritis. Its biological activity depends on its purity grade and could be altered by the presence of other glycosaminoglycans like keratan sulfate that could be contemporarily extracted from animal tissues or like hyaluronic acid that, instead, is added on purpose in food supplements. Although numerous methods are reported in literature for quality control analyses of chondroitin sulfate, few of them are able to detect other glycosaminoglycans. In this paper, for the first time, a new high-performance CE method was set up to quantify the chondroitin sulfate, the eventual keratan sulfate, and hyaluronic acid as intact chains: five chondroitin sulfate standards and 13 animal origin samples or food supplements from six different suppliers were analyzed. The new method was able to determine keratan sulfate similarly to a previously reported high-performance anion-exchange chromatography method, but in addition it showed the advantage to determine also the hyaluronic acid as never reported before.

Online Capillary Zone Electrophoresis Negative Electron Transfer Dissociation Tandem Mass Spectrometry of Glycosaminoglycan Mixtures

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are important biological molecules that are highly anionic and occur in nature as complex mixtures. A platform that combines capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) separations with mass spectrometry (MS) and gas-phase sequencing by using negative electron transfer dissociation (NETD) is shown to be efficacious for the structural analysis of GAG mixtures. CZE is a separation method well suited to the highly negatively charged nature of GAGs. NETD is an electron-based ion activation method that enables the generation of informative fragments with retention of the labile sulfate half-ester modification that determine specific GAG function. Here we combine for the first time NETD and CZE for assigning the structures of GAG oligomers present in mixtures. The speed of ion activation by NETD is found to couple well with the narrow peaks resulting from CZE migration. The platform was optimized with mixtures of GAG tetrasaccharide standards. The potential of the platform is demonstrated by the analysis of enoxaparin, a complex mixture of low molecular weight heparins, which was separated by CZE within 30 minutes and characterized by NETD MS/MS in one online experiment. 37 unique molecular compositions have been identified in enoxaparin using CZE-MS and 9 structures have been assigned with CZE-NETD-MS/MS.

A guide to hyaluronan and related enzymes in breast cancer: biological significance and diagnostic value

Hyaluronan (HA) is a unique nonsulfated glycosaminoglycan that contributes to breast cancer cells growth and functional properties, including cell migration, invasion, adhesion, as well as tumor-associated angiogenesis in different stages of breast cancer progression and especially metastasis. Latest data show that the levels of HA and/or low molecular mass HA in blood serum and plasma of breast cancer patients may be a useful biomarker for breast cancer prognosis, differential diagnosis, and patients' treatment monitoring. Therefore, the qualitative and quantitative determination of HA in biological samples is an emerging area of research. This review gathers, categorizes, and sums up all the currently used methodologies to analyze HA and HA-related enzymes. The advantages, disadvantages, limitations in use, and the information they provide, are critically considered and discussed. Moreover, emphasis is given to the significance of HA determination in breast cancer, as well as of its related enzymes, for diagnosis and prognosis of this type of cancer.

Recent Developments in the Separation of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Anticoagulants

The general function of anticoagulants is to prevent blood clotting and growing of the existing clots in blood vessels. In recent years, there has been a significant improvement in developing methods of prevention as well as pharmacologic and surgical treatment of thrombosis. For over the last two decades, low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) have found their application in the antithrombotic diseases treatment. These types of drugs are widely used in clinical therapy. Despite the biological and medical importance of LMWHs, they have not been completely characterized in terms of their chemical structure. Due to both, the structural complexity of these anticoagulants and the presence of impurities, their structural characterization requires the employment of advanced analytical techniques. Since separation techniques play the key role in these endeavors, this review will focus on the presentation of recent developments in the separation of LMWH anticoagulants.

Establishment of highly sensitive analytical method for chondroitin sulfate by flow injection chemiluminescence

A simple and sensitive flow injection chemiluminescence (FI-CL) method has been developed for the determination of chondroitin sulfate (CS). The method is based on the sensitization effect of enzymatic products of CS on the luminol-H₂O₂ system. Experimental parameters affecting FI-CL method such as concentrations of luminol, H₂O₂ and NaOH and the standing time of luminol alkaline solution were optimized. Under optimum conditions, the calibration plot between CS concentration and the change of CL intensity was linear in the range of 25 ng/mL∼250 ng/mL. The limit of detection (LOD) was 5 ng/mL and the average relative standard deviation (RSD) of CL intensity was 2.5%. The method was successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of CS concentration in drugs. Compared with the reported methods so far, the established method is simple, sensitive, accurate and rapid.

Multiple Sulfatase Deficiency: A Case Series With a Novel Mutation

Multiple sulfatase deficiency is an autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder due to a deficiency in formylglycine-generating enzyme, which is encoded by the Sulfatase Modifying Factor 1 ( SUMF1) gene. Clinically, the disorder is variable. The most common characteristics are developmental regression, intellectual disability, ichthyosis, and periventricular white matter disease. Herein, we report 6 Saudi patients with multiple sulfatase deficiency caused by a novel homozygous missense mutation in the SUMF1 gene (NM_182760.3; c.785A>G [p.Gln262Arg]). The patients are 2 females and 4 males between 5 and 13 years of age, with an age of onset of 1 to 3 years. All patients are consanguineous and suffer from developmental regression, intellectual disability, ichthyosis, and periventricular white matter disease. This cohort differs from previous cohorts because of the absence of organomegaly and skeletal abnormalities.

Capillary Electrophoresis Separations of Glycans

Capillary electrophoresis has emerged as a powerful approach for carbohydrate analyses since 2014. The method provides high resolution capable of separating carbohydrates by charge-to-size ratio. Principle applications are heavily focused on N-glycans, which are highly relevant to biological therapeutics and biomarker research. Advances in techniques used for N-glycan structural identification include migration time indexing and exoglycosidase and lectin profiling, as well as mass spectrometry. Capillary electrophoresis methods have been developed that are capable of separating glycans with the same monosaccharide sequence but different positional isomers, as well as determining whether monosaccharides composing a glycan are alpha or beta linked. Significant applications of capillary electrophoresis to the analyses of N-glycans in biomarker discovery and biological therapeutics are emphasized with a brief discussion included on carbohydrate analyses of glycosaminoglycans and mono-, di-, and oligosaccharides relevant to food and plant products. Innovative, emerging techniques in the field are highlighted and the future direction of the technology is projected based on the significant contributions of capillary electrophoresis to glycoscience from 2014 to the present as discussed in this review.

Recent innovations in the structural analysis of heparin

Heparin, the widely used anticoagulant drug, is unusual among major pharmaceutical agents being neither single chemical entity nor a defined mixture of compounds. Its composition, while conforming to approximate average disaccharide composition or sulfation levels, exhibits heterogeneity and variability depending on the source, as well as its geographical origin. Furthermore, individual polysaccharide chains, whose physico-chemical properties are extremely similar, cannot be separated with current state-of-the-art techniques, presenting a challenge to those interested in the quality control of heparin, in ensuring its provenance and safety, and those with an interest in investigating the relationships between its structure and biological activity. The review consists of two main sections: The first is the Introduction, comprising (i) The History, Occurrence and Use of Heparin and (ii) Approaches to Structure-Activity Relationships. The second section is Improved Techniques for Structural Analysis, comprising; (i) Separation and Identification, (ii) Spectroscopic Methods, (iii) Enzymatic Approaches and (iv) Other Physico-Chemical Approaches. The ~60 references cover recent technological advances in the study of heparin structural analysis, largely since 2010.

Glycosaminoglycans detection methods: Applications of mass spectrometry

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are long blocks of negatively charged polysaccharides. They are one of the major components of the extracellular matrix and play multiple roles in different tissues and organs. The accumulation of undegraded GAGs causes mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS). GAGs are associated with other pathological conditions such as osteoarthritis, inflammation, diabetes mellitus, spinal cord injury, and cancer. The need for further understanding of GAG functions and mechanisms of action boosted the development of qualitative and quantitative (alcian blue, toluidine blue, paper and thin layer chromatography, gas chromatography, high pressure liquid chromatography, capillary electrophoresis, 1,9-dimethylmethylene blue, enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay, mass spectrometry) techniques. The availability of quantitative techniques has facilitated translational research on GAGs into the medical field for: 1) diagnosis, monitoring, and screening for MPS; 2) analysis of GAG synthetic and degradation pathways; and 3) determination of physiological and pathological roles of GAGs. This review provides a history of development of GAG assays and insights about the use of tandem mass spectrometry and its applications for GAG analysis.

Heparan sulfate and heparin interactions with proteins

Heparan sulfate (HS) polysaccharides are ubiquitous components of the cell surface and extracellular matrix of all multicellular animals, whereas heparin is present within mast cells and can be viewed as a more sulfated, tissue-specific, HS variant. HS and heparin regulate biological processes through interactions with a large repertoire of proteins. Owing to these interactions and diverse effects observed during in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo experiments, manifold biological/pharmacological activities have been attributed to them. The properties that have been thought to bestow protein binding and biological activity upon HS and heparin vary from high levels of sequence specificity to a dependence on charge. In contrast to these opposing opinions, we will argue that the evidence supports both a level of redundancy and a degree of selectivity in the structure-activity relationship. The relationship between this apparent redundancy, the multi-dentate nature of heparin and HS polysaccharide chains, their involvement in protein networks and the multiple binding sites on proteins, each possessing different properties, will also be considered. Finally, the role of cations in modulating HS/heparin activity will be reviewed and some of the implications for structure-activity relationships and regulation will be discussed.

Keratan sulfate glycosaminoglycan from chicken egg white

Keratan sulfate (KS) was isolated from chicken egg white in amounts corresponding to ∼0.06 wt% (dry weight). This KS had a weight-average molecular weight of ∼36-41 kDa with a polydispersity of ∼1.3. The primary repeating unit present in chicken egg white KS was →4) β-N-acetyl-6-O-sulfo-d-glucosamine (1 → 3) β-d-galactose (1→ with some 6-O-sulfo galactose residues present. This KS was somewhat resistant to depolymerization using keratanase 1 but could be depolymerized efficiently through the use of reactive oxygen species generated using copper (II) and hydrogen peroxide. Of particular interest was the presence of substantial amounts of 2,8- and 2,9-linked N-acetylneuraminic acid residues in the form of oligosialic acid terminating the non-reducing ends of the KS chains. Most of the KS appears to be N-linked to a protein core as evidenced by its sensitivity to PNGase F.

Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry for the Analysis of Heparin Oligosaccharides and Low Molecular Weight Heparin

Heparins, highly sulfated, linear polysaccharides also known as glycosaminoglycans, are among the most challenging biopolymers to analyze. Hyphenated techniques in conjunction with mass spectrometry (MS) offer rapid analysis of complex glycosaminoglycan mixtures, providing detailed structural and quantitative data. Previous analytical approaches have often relied on liquid chromatography (LC)-MS, and some have limitations including long separation times, low resolution of oligosaccharide mixtures, incompatibility of eluents, and often require oligosaccharide derivatization. This study examines the analysis of glycosaminoglycan oligosaccharides using a novel electrokinetic pump-based capillary electrophoresis (CE)-MS interface. CE separation and electrospray were optimized using a volatile ammonium bicarbonate electrolyte and a methanol-formic acid sheath fluid. The online analyses of highly sulfated heparin oligosaccharides, ranging from disaccharides to low molecular weight heparins, were performed within a 10 min time frame, offering an opportunity for higher-throughput analysis. Disaccharide compositional analysis as well as top-down analysis of low molecular weight heparin was demonstrated. Using normal polarity CE separation and positive-ion electrospray ionization MS, excellent run-to-run reproducibility (relative standard deviation of 3.6-5.1% for peak area and 0.2-0.4% for peak migration time) and sensitivity (limit of quantification of 2.0-5.9 ng/mL and limit of detection of 0.6-1.8 ng/mL) could be achieved.

Development of a rapid method for simultaneous separation of hyaluronic acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and heparin by capillary electrophoresis

This study reports the use of diethylenetriamine as background electrolyte for the simultaneous separation of hyaluronan acid, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate and heparin. The analytes were baseline separated by using an uncoated fused silica capillary at 37°C with a run time of 23min. The migration order, with hyaluronan acid at first and heparin at last, was related to the sulfation degree. The effect of salt concentration on resolution and migration order was also investigated. The developed method was applied to the simultaneous determination of hyaluronan acid and chondroitin sulfate in mouse plasma. Interferences in plasma were removed by protein precipitation and glycosaminoglycans were further purified by ethanol precipitation. The method was validated over the concentration range from 50 to 600μg/mL for hyaluronan acid and 500 to 6000μg/mL for chondroitin sulfate in mouse plasma. Results from assay validations showed that the method was selective and robust.

Changes in composition and sulfation patterns of glycoaminoglycans in renal cell carcinoma

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are heterogeneous, linear, highly charged, anionic polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharides units. GAGs have some biological significance in cancer progression (invasion and metastasis) and cell signaling. In different cancer types, GAGs undergo specific structural changes. In the present study, in depth investigation of changes in sulfation pattern and composition of GAGs, heparan sulfate (HS)/heparin (HP), chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate and hyaluronan (HA) in normal renal tissue (NRT) and renal cell carcinoma tissue (RCCT) were evaluated. The statistical evaluation showed that alteration of the HS (HSNRT = 415.1 ± 115.3; HSRCCT = 277.5 ± 134.3), and CS (CSNRT = 35.3 ± 12.3; CSRCCT = 166.7 ± 108.8) amounts (in ng/mg dry tissue) were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Sulfation pattern in NRT and RCCT was evaluated to reveal disaccharide profiles. Statistical analyses showed that RCCT samples contain significantly increased amounts (in units of ng/mg dry tissue) of 4SCS (NRT = 25.7 ± 9.4; RCCT = 117.1 ± 73.9), SECS (NRT = 0.7 ± 0.3; RCCT = 4.7 ± 4.5), 6SCS (NRT = 6.1 ± 2.7; RCCT = 39.4 ± 34.7) and significantly decreased amounts (in units of ng/mg dry tissue) of NS6SHS (RCCT = 28.6 ± 6.5, RCCT = 10.2 ± 8.0), NS2SHS (RCCT = 44.2 ± 13.8; RCCT = 27.2 ± 15.0), NSHS (NRT = 68.4 ± 15.8; RCCT = 50.4 ± 21.2), 2S6SHS (NRT = 1.0 ± 0.4; RCCT = 0.4 ± 0.3), and 6SHS (NRT = 60.6 ± 17.5; RCCT = 24.9 ± 12.3). If these changes in GAGs are proven to be specific and sensitive, they may serve as potential biomarkers in RCC. Our findings are likely to help us to show the direction for further investigations to be able to bring different diagnostic and prognostic approaches in renal tumors.

Compositional analysis and structural elucidation of glycosaminoglycans in chicken eggs

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) have numerous applications in the fields of pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and foods. GAGs are also critically important in the developmental biology of all multicellular animals. GAGs were isolated from chicken egg components including yolk, thick egg white, thin egg white, membrane, calcified shell matrix supernatant, and shell matrix deposit. Disaccharide compositional analysis was performed using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results of these analyses showed that all four families of GAGs were detected in all egg components. Keratan sulfate was found in egg whites (thick and thin) and shell matrix (calcified shell matrix supernatant and deposit) with high level. Chondroitin sulfates were much more plentiful in both shell matrix components and membrane. Hyaluronan was plentiful in both shell matrix components and membrane, but was only present in a trace of quantities in the yolk. Heparan sulfate was plentiful in the shell matrix deposit but was present in a trace of quantities in the egg content components (yolk, thick and thin egg whites). Most of the chondroitin and heparan sulfate disaccharides were present in the GAGs found in chicken eggs with the exception of chondroitin and heparan sulfate 2,6-disulfated disaccharides. Both CS and HS in the shell matrix deposit contained the most diverse chondroitin and heparan sulfate disaccharide compositions. Eggs might provide a potential new source of GAGs.

Quantitative analysis of glycosaminoglycans, chondroitin/dermatan sulfate, hyaluronic acid, heparan sulfate, and keratan sulfate by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry

We developed a method using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) with a selected reaction monitoring (SRM) mode for simultaneous quantitative analysis of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs). Using one-shot analysis with our MS/MS method, we demonstrated the simultaneous quantification of a total of 23 variously sulfated disaccharides of four GAG classes (8 chondroitin/dermatan sulfates, 1 hyaluronic acid, 12 heparan sulfates, and 2 keratan sulfates) with a sensitivity of less than 0.5 pmol within 20 min. We showed the differences in the composition of GAG classes and the sulfation patterns between porcine articular cartilage and yellow ligament. In addition to the internal disaccharides described above, some saccharides derived from the nonreducing terminal were detected simultaneously. The simultaneous quantification of both internal and nonreducing terminal saccharides could be useful to estimate the chain length of GAGs. This method would help to establish comprehensive "GAGomic" analysis of biological tissues.