Abstract
Proteins at interfaces present a number of analytical challenges, particularly in the context of biotherapeutic formulations. Proteins typically adsorb to interfaces in thin films or monolayers while being present at high concentrations in the bulk liquid, making sensitivity to behavior directly at the interface an important feature. Additionally, there are multiple timescales of interest, from milliseconds to days, meaning the analytical techniques for probing interfacial behavior need to be adaptable with respect to time resolution. Also, biotherapeutic formulations are usually multicomponent systems, so the techniques need to distinguish between the behavior of the therapeutic protein and other surface-active excipients included to stabilize the protein (e.g., polysorbates and poloxamers). Finally, proteins form amorphous films at interfaces that make traditional interfacial techniques, usually applied to lipids and other well-defined surfactants, less sensitive to structural changes in protein films.
In this chapter, we discuss the strengths and weaknesses of a multitude of interfacial techniques and how these have been applied to understand protein instability at interfaces. First, we examine the multitude of techniques for measuring protein adsorption to interfaces including surface tensiometry, microscopy, and interferometry. Next, we give an overview of rheological tools for evaluating interfacial stresses in protein films. Finally, we discuss a number of spectroscopic techniques for measuring protein structure and conformation within interfacial films. In each section, we review how these various techniques have been employed to understand the dynamics of protein adsorption, unfolding, and aggregation at interfaces and how they could aid in reducing the impact of interfacial stresses during the development of biotherapeutics.
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Abbreviations
- AFM:
-
Atomic force microscopy
- ATR-FTIR:
-
Attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy
- BAM:
-
Brewster angle microscopy
- BLI:
-
Bio-layer interferometry
- DPI:
-
Dual polarization interferometry
- FRAP:
-
Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching
- FRET:
-
Förster resonance energy transfer
- IgG:
-
Immunoglobulin G
- IRRAS:
-
Infrared reflectance absorption spectroscopy
- IRSE:
-
Infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry
- IV:
-
Intravenous
- mAb:
-
Monoclonal antibody
- NR:
-
Neutron reflection
- OWLS:
-
Optical waveguide lightmode spectroscopy
- PM:
-
Polarization modulated
- Q:
-
Wave vector transfer
- QCM-D:
-
Quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring
- SFG:
-
Sum frequency generation
- SPR:
-
Surface plasmon resonance
- TIRF:
-
Total internal reflection fluorescence
- XRR:
-
X-ray reflectivity
- Δ:
-
Wave phase angle
- Ψ:
-
Wave amplitude difference
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Shieh, I.C., Cheng, Y. (2021). Analytical Techniques for Evaluating Protein Instability at Interfaces. In: Li, J., Krause, M.E., Tu, R. (eds) Protein Instability at Interfaces During Drug Product Development. AAPS Advances in the Pharmaceutical Sciences Series, vol 43. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-57177-1_7
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