The Pre- and Post-Column Derivatization on Monosaccharide Composition Analysis, a Review

Polysaccharides, as common metabolic products in organisms, play a crucial role in the growth and development of living organisms. For humans, polysaccharides represent a class of compounds with diverse applications, particularly in the medical field. Therefore, the exploration of the monosaccharide composition and structural characteristics of polysaccharides holds significant importance in understanding their biological functions. This review provides a comprehensive overview of extraction methods and hydrolysis strategies for polysaccharides. It systematically analyzes strategies and technologies for determining polysaccharide composition and discusses common derivatization reagents employed in further polysaccharide studies. Derivatization is considered a fundamental strategy for determining monosaccharides, as it not only enhances the detectability of analytes but also increases detection sensitivity, especially in liquid chromatography (LC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), and gas chromatography (GC) techniques. The review meticulously examines pre-column and post-column derivatization techniques for monosaccharide analysis, categorizing them based on diverse detection methodologies. It delves into the principles and distinctive features of various derivatization reagents, offering a comparative analysis of their strengths and limitations. Ultimately, the aim is to provide guidance for selecting the most suitable derivatization approach, taking into account the structural nuances, biological functions, and reaction dynamics of polysaccharides.

A fast and convenient solid phase preparation method for releasing N-glycans from glycoproteins using trypsin- and peptide-N-glycosidase F (PNGase F)-impregnated polyacrylamide gels fabricated in a pipette tip

An efficient deglycosylation process is a key requirement for the identification and characterization of glycosylation during the production and purification of therapeutic antibodies. PNGase F is widely used for the deglycosylation of N-linked glycans. The commonly-used in-solution deglycosylation method is relatively time-consuming and requires several hours up to overnight for complete removal of all N-linked glycans. In order to develop a simple and efficient method for the rapid release of N-linked glycans from glycoproteins, we fabricated trypsin- and PNGase F-impregnated polyacrylamide gels in a commercial 200 μL volume pipette tip. Our enzyme reactor is based on simple photochemical copolymerization of monomers using the following procedure: (1) a pipette tip was filled with a gel solution comprising acrylamide, N,N'-methylene-bis-acrylamide containing PNGase F or trypsin with 2,2-azobis(2-methyl-N-(2-hydroxyethyl) propionamide) as a photocatalytic initiator; and (2) in situ polymerization of gel solution approximately 30 mm from the tip was performed by irradiation with a 365 nm blue LED beam from a distance 10 mm. The fixed enzymes maintained their activities in the polyacrylamide gel and the reaction was completed by 40 iterations of suction and discharge with a pipette (hereafter referred to as manual pipetting times) for 8 min with each enzyme digestion. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) of released glycans labeled with 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonate (APTS) demonstrated quantitative recovery of glycans from selected glycoproteins.

Current landscape of protein glycosylation analysis and recent progress toward a novel paradigm of glycoscience research

This review covers the basics and some applications of methodologies for the analysis of glycoprotein glycans. Analytical techniques used for glycoprotein glycans, including liquid chromatography (LC), capillary electrophoresis (CE), mass spectrometry (MS), and high-throughput analytical methods based on microfluidics, were described to supply the essentials about biopharmaceutical and biomarker glycoproteins. We will also describe the MS analysis of glycoproteins and glycopeptides as well as the chemical and enzymatic releasing methods of glycans from glycoproteins and the chemical reactions used for the derivatization of glycans. We hope the techniques have accommodated most of the requests from glycoproteomics researchers.