CAPILLARY LIQUID-CHROMATOGRAPHIC AND AUTOMATED MALDI-TOF MASS-SPECTROMETRIC ANALYSIS OF COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATE MIXTURES

Reproducible microbore reversed-phase HPLC methodology has been develo ped, suitable for the analysis of carbohydrates derivatized with 2-ami noacridone. The high extinction coefficient of this label at around 26 0 nm, combined with the use of a new diode array microflow cell, has a llowed detection at femtomole levels. Analytes were also robotically c ollected onto MALDI targets, and mass spectrometric information was ac quired for carbohydrate present at low picomole levels. This technolog y was successfully applied to mixtures of linear and branched oligosac charides, including sialylated species.