A fluorometric assay for the quantitation of aminosugars.

A method is presented for the quantitative determination of aminosugars in glycoproteins. Glycoproteins are acid hydrolyzed and reacted with the fluorogenic reagent 1-dimethylaminonaphthalene-5-sulfonyl chloride. Following cellulose thin layer electrophoresis in pyridine/acetic acid (pH 4.4), 5 h at 500 V, appropriate areas of the plate are scraped and the dansyl hexosamines are eluted with 95% ethanol. Aliquots are then applied to a silica gel tlc plate and subjected to ascending thin layer chromatography in cyclohexane/ethylacetate/ethanol (6/4/3). After spraying the plate with triethanolamine/isopropanol ($\text{1}\text{4}$), fluorescent intensities are measured by in situ scanning. The aminosugar content of the glycoprotein is determined from a curve generated from a series of standards run concurrently on each plate. The method clearly resolves glucosamine from galactosamine, and is sensitive for the detection of aminosugars in the subnanomole range.