A capillary zone electrophoresis method for determining N-acetylneuraminic acid in glycoproteins and blood sera

A simple capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) method for the determination of the content of the major sialic acid form N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) in glycoproteins was established. The present method utilizes a simplified hydrolysis-purification procedure consisting of mild acid hydrolysis (25 mM trifluoroacetic acid for 2 h at 80°C) to release Neu5Ac and ultrafiltration on Centricon-3 membrane to remove the obtained asialoglycoproteins and other macromolecules present in biologic samples. Derivatization with benzoic anhydride at 80°C for 20 min resulted in complete conversion of Neu5Ac to per-O-benzoylated Neu5Ac. CZE analysis was performed using the operating buffer 25 mM phosphate, pH 3.5, containing 50% (v/v) acetonitrile as organic modifier at 30 kV, and detection of the per-O-benzoylated Neu5Ac at 231 nm. The method showed excellent repeatability (RDS < 1.98%) and a linearity range from 5 μg/mL to 5 mg/mL with a detection limit of 2 μM. Application of the method to microanalysis of human α1-acid glycoprotein and blood serum samples showed excellent agreement with previously published values, suggesting a high precision for the developed CZE method. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd