Structural investigation of raw and modified glycans by maldi-tof mass spectrometry

Abstract

The study of glycans which play essential roles in modulating cell functions, and the elucidation of their pattern variation both in health and disease states, promises to offer new diagnostic options, new bioactive compounds, as well as new targets for glycan-mediated therapeutic interventions enlightening important aspects in the field of ‘glycomedicine’. The present paper describes the procedure for obtaining and the analysis of a raw and a modified glycan, respectively. A maltodextrin functionalized with an amine linker is obtained through reductive amination, in the minimum possible number of steps and with the maximum possible yield. The isolation and purification of the basic glycan are also described. The extraction, isolation and purification of a neutral polysaccharide from the fruiting body of Fomes fomentarius by using ion exchange chromatography coupled with dialysis is also presented. Both the natural polysaccharide isolated from the mushroom and the glycan functionalized with hexamethylenediamine (HMD) were analysed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode. By combining chemical methods, TLC and mass spectrometry, the existence of a GalxMany heteropolysaccharide in the Fomes fomentarius neutral polysaccharides was revealed.