H2O2-TiO2 photocatalytic degradation of chondroitin sulfate and in vivo absorption and excertion of its product

Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is widely known for its various biological activities which are closely related to the sulfate substitution and the molecular weight. Effective degradation methods without striping sulfate groups are in a need. In the present study, a photocatalytic degradation method using H2O2 and TiO2 has been developed and it could decrease the average molecular weight of CS into 5 kDa within 6 h. The chemical composition of CS before and after degradation were compared by FT-IR, NMR, etc., and no removement of sulfate group was observed. Then the identification of the oligosaccharides in the degradation product by mass spectroscopy revealed that glucuronic acid or its derivative, arabinuronic acid, was at most of the reducing ends, and the depolymerization mechanism was proposed. Furthermore, the absorption of CS in rats was enhanced by the degradation while the excertion profile of the degradation product was similar to that of CS. [Display omitted] •A photocatalytic method is developed for chondroitin sulfate (CS) degradation.•It could depolymerize CS to 5 kDa within 6 h without stripping sulfate groups.•Most of oligosaccharide have glucuronic acid or its derivative at reducing ends.•Gut microbiota metabolize CS and its degradation product (3 kDa) at a similar level.