Structural analysis of sulfated fucan from Saccharina japonica by electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

Desulfation of a fucoidan from Saccharina japonica by treatment with DMSO-MeOH resulted in partial degradation of polymeric molecules by methanolysis giving rise to a mixture of neutral, monosulfated, and disulfated fucooligosaccharides in the form of methyl glycosides. These oligomeric fragments were characterized by ESI-MS and ESI-CID-MS/MS. It was found that oligosaccharide structures coincided with the polysaccharide backbone built up mainly of (1→3)-linked fucose residues sulfated at positions 4 and 2.