title: Chromatographic molecular weight measurements for heparin, its fragments and fractions, and other glycosaminoglycans.
abstract: Glycosaminoglycan samples are usually polydisperse, consisting of molecules with differing length and differing sequence. Methods for measuring the molecular weight of heparin have been developed to assure the quality and consistency of heparin products for medicinal use, and these methods can be applied in other laboratory contexts. In the method described here, high-performance gel permeation chromatography is calibrated using appropriate heparin molecular weight markers or a single broad standard calibrant, and used to characterize the molecular weight distribution of polydisperse samples or the peak molecular weight of monodisperse, or approximately monodisperse, heparin fractions. The same technology can be adapted for use with other glycosaminoglycans.
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, Blanche Lane, South Mimms, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, EN6 3QG, UK, barbara.mulloy@kcl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mulloy
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hogwood
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D002850:Chromatography, Gel / Q000379:methods*; D006493:Heparin / Q000737:chemistry*; D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / Q000737:chemistry; D008970:Molecular Weight; D012015:Reference Standards; D012984:Software; D013223:Statistics as Topic
chemical_list: D006495:Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight; D006493:Heparin