High-performance liquid chromatographic identification of eight constitutional disaccharides from heparan sulfate isomers digested with heparitinases

Identification with specific heparan sulfate-lyases, heparitinase I and heparinase of the constitutional unsaturated disaacharide (ΔDi-S_HS) derived from heparan sulfate (HS) isomers and heparin was achieved using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a sulfonated styrene-divinylbenzene copolymer. Eight ΔDi-S_HS products derived from HS isomers were identified. Enzymatic digestion with heparitinase I and heparinase converts heterogeneous sulfated HS isomers and heparin into different ΔDi-S_HS. The practical application of these enzymes was examined using specific enzymes and HPLC. In a patient with Hurler syndrome, eight individual Δi-S_HS were identified in urinary HS isomers.