Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS Method for the quantitation of heparan sulfate in human urine

Heparan sulfate is a linear polysaccharide and serves as an important biomarker to monitor patient response to therapies for MPS III disorder. It is challenging to analyze heparan sulfate intact owing to its complexity and heterogeneity. Therefore, a sensitive, robust and validated LC-MS/MS method is needed to support the clinical studies for the quantitation of heparan sulfate in biofluids under regulated settings. Presented in this work are the results of the development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for the quantitation of heparan sulfate in human urine using selected high-abundant disaccharides as surrogates. During sample processing, a combination of analytical technologies have been employed, including rapid digestion, filtration, solid-phase extraction and chemical derivatization. The validated method is highly sensitive and is able to analyze heparan sulfate in urine samples from healthy donors. Disaccharide constitution analysis in urine samples from 25 healthy donors was performed using the assay and demonstrated the proof of concept of using selected disaccharides as a surrogate for validation and quantitation.