title: Method to detect contaminants in heparin using radical depolymerization and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.
abstract: Heparin is a critically important anticoagulant drug that was contaminated with a persulfonated polysaccharide in 2008, resulting in a number of severe adverse reactions, some leading to death. Controversy remains as to the precise composition of the 2008 contaminant, and new information suggests that heparin may now be subject to adulteration with a new, difficult to detect, contaminant, N-sulfo oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. This study synthesizes this new potential contaminant and describes the use of radical depolymerization followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to detect N-sulfo oversulfated chondroitin sulfate and to confirm the structure of the 2008 contaminant as oversulfated chondroitin sulfate and not oversulfated heparan sulfate.
authors.affiliation: College of Food Science and Technology, Ocean University of China , Qingdao, Shandong 266003, China.
authors.forename: Guoyun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: Lingyun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Fuming
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toida
authors.forename: Changhu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Linhardt
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid / Q000379:methods; D004340:Drug Contamination; D006493:Heparin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry / Q000379:methods*; D058105:Polymerization; D013552:Swine
chemical_list: D006493:Heparin; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates