Identification and relative-quantification of glycans by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization in-source decay...

The use of specific matrixes allows enhancing the scope of in-source decay (ISD) applications in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) thanks to the specificity of analyte-matrix chemistry. The use of an oxidizing matrix, 5-nitrosalicylic acid (5-NSA), for MALDI-ISD of glycans is shown to promote fragmentation pathways involving radical precursors. Both glycosidic and cross-ring cleavages are promoted by hydrogen abstraction from hydroxyl group of glycans by 5-NSA molecules. Cross-ring cleavage ions are potentially useful in linkage analysis, one of the most critical steps of glycan characterization. Moreover, we show here that isobaric glycans could be distinguished by structure specific ISD ions and that the molar ratio of glycan isomers in the mixture can be estimated from their fragment ions abundance. The use of 5-NSA also opens the possibility to perform pseudo-MS(3) analysis of glycans. Therefore, MALDI-ISD with 5-NSA is a useful method for identification of glycans and semiquantitative analysis of mixture of glycan isomers.