title: On-line separation and characterization of hyaluronan oligosaccharides derived from radical depolymerization.
abstract: Hydroxyl radicals are widely implicated in the oxidation of carbohydrates in biological and industrial processes and are often responsible for their structural modification resulting in functional damage. In this study, the radical depolymerization of the polysaccharide hyaluronan was studied in a reaction with hydroxyl radicals generated by Fenton Chemistry. A simple method for isolation and identification of the resulting non-sulfated oligosaccharide products of oxidative depolymerization was established. Hyaluronan oligosaccharides were analyzed using ion-pairing reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem electrospray mass spectrometry. The sequence of saturated hyaluronan oligosaccharides having even- and odd-numbers of saccharide units, afforded through oxidative depolymerization, were identified. This study represents a simple, effective 'fingerprinting' protocol for detecting the damage done to hyaluronan by oxidative radicals. This study should help reveal the potential biological outcome of reactive-oxygen radical-mediated depolymerization of hyaluronan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China.
authors.forename: Xue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Lingyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Fuming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Linhardt
mesh_terms: D006820:Hyaluronic Acid / Q000737:chemistry*; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009844:Oligosaccharides / Q000737:chemistry*; D058105:Polymerization; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009844:Oligosaccharides; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D006820:Hyaluronic Acid