Analysis of proteoglycans by high-performance liquid chromatography: A rapid micromethod for the separation of proteoglycans from tissue and cell culture

Proteoglycans were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), using two coupled Aquapore columns containing glycerylpropylsilane groups covalently linked to large-pore (50–100 nm) silica spheres. This two-column HPLC system was effective in separating cartilage proteoglycan aggregates and monomers, without altering their biochemical integrity. This system was also effective in resolving small amounts of isotopically labeled proteoglycans synthesized by cultured mammalian cells. The small sample size, short analysis time, and high reproducibility represent improvements in the study of proteoglycans over conventional soft-gel chromatography.