Novel oligosaccharides with the sialyl-Lea structure in human milk.

We have isolated four novel oligosaccharides with the sialyl-Lea structure from human milk using a monoclonal antibody, MSW 113. These oligosaccharides were purified by affinity chromatography on a column of the immobilized monoclonal antibody and by high-performance liquid chromatography. The results of structural analyses, i.e., 500-MHz 1H NMR spectroscopy, fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry, and binding to specific anticarbohydrate antibodies, are consistent with the following structures. (formula; see text)