State-of-the-art of capillary electrophoresis with application to the area of glycoconjugates.

Glycoconjugates constitute a major group of biomolecules, which participate in several biological functions and processes. Their carbohydrate components play key roles in determining the properties of glycoconjugates and, therefore, analysis and structural characterization of carbohydrates are essential. Capillary electrophoresis, due to its high resolving power and sensitivity, has been successfully used for the analysis of carbohydrates. In this review the principles of high-performance capillary electrophoresis; mechanisms employed for glycoconjugate analysis as well as the various detection techniques used are summarized. Copyright 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.