Analysis of a bioactive beta-(1 --> 3) polysaccharide (Curdlan) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry.

This paper focuses on the development of MALDI sample preparation protocols for the analysis of a bioactive beta-(1 --> 3) polysaccharide, i.e. Curdlan. The crude Curdlan sample was first separated into a low molecular weight water-soluble portion and a high molecular weight water-insoluble portion. The water-soluble portion was analyzed using a standard MALDI sample preparation method developed for dextran analysis. Two low-mass (<4000 Da) polysaccharide distributions differing by 16 Da were observed. For the analysis of the water-insoluble portion, several sample preparation protocols were evaluated using GPC-fractionated samples. A sample preparation method based on the deposition of the analyte solution with a mixture of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) and 3-aminoquinoline (3AQ) matrices in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) at elevated temperature of 70 degrees C was found to reliably produce good MALDI spectra. MALDI analysis of the water-insoluble Curdlan portion gave number-average (Mn) and weight-average (Mw) molecular weights and polydispersity of 8000 Da, 8700 Da, and 1.10, respectively. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.