Isolation and characterization of novel phosphate-containing sialyloligosaccharides from normal human urine.

Three phosphate-containing sialyloligosaccharides were isolated from normal human urine using charcoal adsorption, gel-filtration chromatography, ion-exchange chromatography and paper chromatography. Studies including gas-liquid chromatography of monosaccharide and disaccharide derivatives, methylation analysis, phosphate determination, ion-exchange chromatography and glycosidase and phosphatase treatments indicated the following three structures for the compounds isolated: NeuAc(alpha 2-6)Gal(beta 1-4)GlcNAc(alpha)-P; NeuAc(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-4)GlcNAc(alpha)-P; NeuAc(alpha 2-3)Gal(beta 1-3)GalNAc(alpha)-P. These sialyloligosaccharide 1-phosphates represent a novel class of oligosaccharides. Their oligosaccharide chains are identical with the common sialyloligosaccharide end groups of glycoproteins and glycolipids. The excretion of these compounds in normal human urine may indicate the existence of a novel, as yet unrevealed pathway in the metabolism of complex carbohydrates.