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SUMMARY:Using Mass Spectrometry to Analyze Polysaccharide Degradation
LOCATION:Chemistry A101
TZID:America/Denver
DTSTART:20192101T000000
UID:2026-04-24-00-46-15@natsci.colostate.edu
DTSTAMP:20260424T004615
Description:Research Seminar Abstract\n\nPolysaccharides are used as scaffo
 lds for drug delivery1\,2. As these materials move from the lab towards me
 dical use\, a thorough understanding of their structures and related produ
 cts is crucial. In this presentation\, mass spectrometry will be used to i
 dentify products from a range of polysaccharide degradation protocols usin
 g chitosan as a model system. Chitosan is a copolymer composed of glucosam
 ine and N-acetylglucosamine and a component of arthropod exoskeletons and 
 fungal cell walls3. The first project discussed focuses on the potential s
 tructural modifications that occur during the addition of nitric oxide-rel
 easing moieties to chitosan. My studies indicate that protocols using in s
 itu nitrous acid generation render chitosan susceptible to degradation by 
 generation of monomers such as 2\,5-anhydro-d-mannose4. As chitosan deriva
 tives are intended to be placed in contact with tissues or blood\, alterat
 ion to their structures could potentially affect functionality and potenti
 al toxicity. The second project discussed will take advantage of the degra
 dation of chitosan and chitin as a biomarker to detect fungal infections. 
 Degradation of chitin and chitosan is possible through a variety of chemic
 al and enzymatic agents5\, each of which provides a unique chemical finger
 print. These can be related back to the presence of polymeric chitosan\, w
 hich can then be correlated to the presence of fungi. Overall\, these stud
 ies indicate that mass spectrometry provides an excellent method to screen
  polysaccharides for a variety of degradation products and shows promise a
 s a diagnostic tool for detecting fungal infections.\n\n(1) Sun\, T et al.
  Carbohydr. Polym. 2004 (58) 379-382.\n(2) Alves\, N.\; Mano\, J. Int J. B
 iol. Macromol. 2008 (43) 401-414\n(3) Stevens\, M. Polymer Chemistry: An I
 ntroduction 1999 Oxford University Press. New York\, New York.\n(4) Alliso
 n\, C.L.\, Lutzke\, A.\; Reynolds\, M.M. Carbohydr. Polym. 2019 (203) 285-
 291.\n(5) Wasikiewicz et al. Radiat. Phys. Chem. 2004 (73) 287-295.\n\n&nb
 sp\; 4:00 pm
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