Quantitative Analysis of Acidic Polysaccharides Using Hydrophilic Interaction Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry after Acid Hydrolysis

Background: Acidic polysaccharides usually possess favorable bioactivities, and some of them are applied in medicines and dietary supplements together. However, it is a challenge to quantify these polysaccharides simultaneously. Methods: A method to Quantify Hyaluronic Acid (HA), Chondroitin Sulfate (CS) and a nonglycosaminoglycan acidic polysaccharide named AGSP was established by determining the contents of their disaccharides produced from the acid hydrolysis using hydrophilic interaction chromatographytandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometry in the positive mode. Results: This method had excellent linearities in a concentration range of 0.02~2.00 mg/mL for these standard acidic polysaccharides, the recoveries were all 95%~112%, and relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than 5%. Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.1 µg/mL to 4.1 µg/mL. It could be inferred that the demonstrated method was feasible to quantitatively detect uronic acid-containing polysaccharides. Conclusion: This method could be a useful tool for quality control of medicines and dietary supplements containing these acidic polysaccharides.