Results
More than 150 complex N- glycans, including highly fucosylated biantennary, triantennary, tetraantennary and bisecting species, were observed in our spectra. Three distinct patterns for CTRL, VKC and AKC patients were identified in terms of relative intensities for someN- glycans structures. Major variations involved bisecting and hyperfucosylated glycoforms.
The most intense ions were associated to species at m/z 1907.0 (asialo, agalacto, bisected, biantennary structure – NGA2B) in CTRL MS profiles, at m/z 2605.3 and 2966.5 in VKC, and at m/z2792.4 in AKC corresponding to a well-known biantennary, disialylatedN- glycan. Several peaks were associated to structures bearing one or two Lewis X epitopes. Structures were confirmed by MS/MS analysis. Quantitative differences among the three groups were statistically significant.