ANALYSIS OF GLYCOSAMINOGLYCANS AND THEIR OLIGOSACCHARIDE FRAGMENTS BYCAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS

Glycosaminoglycans are high molecular mass polymers found in living ti ssues, They are degraded by site specific enzymes to oligosaccharide f ragments, Polymers and oligomers all carry negative charge and are fou nd as salts soluble in water. Consequently capillary electrophoresis h as come to the fore as an analytical technique in this field. This rev iew discusses application of the technique to the chondroitin-dermatan , heparin and hyaluronan groups of polymer and the derived oligosaccha rides. Direct and indirect UV detection are discussed as well as detec tion methods involving precolumn derivatization. Capillary electrophor esis has found use in the characterisation of heparin and in following the changes in chondroitin and hyaluronan during the onset of arthrit ic disease in humans. Some glycosaminoglycans have been used as asymme tric anions in the separation of enantiomers of low molecular mass com pounds by capillary electrophoresis.