Chromatography of acidic glycosaminoglycans on DEAE-cellulose

An ion-exchange procedure has been developed for the separation and analysis of milligram amounts of acidic glycosaminoglycans. The polysaccharides were first applied to a column of Sephadex G-50 and eluted with 0.15 M sodium chloride. The high molecular weight fraction was passed through a 1 × 5 cm DE-52 column, which retained the polyanions. These were subsequently eluted at 60° with a gradient of lithium chloride buffered at pH 4. Aliquots of the eluate were analyzed colorimetrically. By this technique, a resolution mainly according to degree of sulfation but also according to molecular weight was achieved. Within the errors of the colorimetric analyses, quantitative yields were recorded.