A Comparative Study on Structural Elucidation of Sialyl Oligosaccharides by Mass Spectrometry with Fast Atom Bombardment,Electrospray Ionization,and Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization

To establish a new protocol for sensitive detection and structural characterization of sialyl oligosaccharides, their sensitivities and structural information from mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry with FAB-, ESI-, and MALDI were evaluated in detail. Among these ionization methods, FAB-MS and FAB-MS/MS gave reproducible and predictable spectra carrying information on sequence and branching of sialyl oligosaccharides after derivatization with 2-aminopyridine (PA). With both positive and negative ion modes, their structural elucidation promises to be straightforward, MS/MS specta being measurable at as low as 200 pmol. Thus, this method consitutes a powerful tool for sensitive detection and structural characterization of limited quantities of sialyl oligosaccharides by FAB-MS and FAB-MS/MS.