Silica versus polymer-based stationary phases for reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic analyses of rat insulin biosynthesis. A comparison of resolution and recovery

New polymer-based prepacked column for the reversed-phase liquid chromatographic separation of peptides over the pH range 2-12

The aim of this paper was to investigate the properties of a new column, Source 5RPC, for the separation of peptides at pH 2, 4.5, 7, 9 and 12 and to compare this product with similar polymer-based products available on the market. All columns were prepacked with 5 microm polystyrene-divinylbenzene polymer bead matrices and had dimensions of 150x4.6 mm I.D. Separations of angiotensin peptides were achieved on these columns using different equilibration solvents in the pH range 2-12 and elution with acetonitrile gradients. The separation of the peptide mixture obtained on Source 5RPC column was compared with that of two other commercially available polymer-based matrices. Method scouting and optimisation were carried out using the novel chromatography system, AKTA purifier.

Recombinant human insulin. V. Optimization of the reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separation

The applicability of reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to the analysis of the products of recombinant insulin was studied. The influence of several mobile phases in reversed-phase and ion-pair HPLC on selectivity, resolution and sensitivity was investigated. Optimum conditions for the separation of insulin-related proteins on commercial and laboratory-made supports were established by means of three-dimensional optimizations of selectivity and resolution as a function of pH and ionic strength (mu). A mechanism for the separation of proteins with a mobile phase containing a high salt concentration and a pH near the isoelectric point of proteins is proposed. The questions of scaling up are considered. The proposed techniques allow the analysis of the main impurities and ensures a high quality of active insulin production.

Recombinant human insulin. III. High-performance liquid chromatography and high-performance capillary electrophoresis control in the analysis of step-by-step production of recombinant human insulin

The production of recombinant human insulin consists of five main stages, accompanied by considerable transformation of molecules, concerning size, secondary structure and the presence of charged groups. The application of different methods, i.e., size-exclusion, ion-exchange and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) (capillary zone electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography), to the analysis of insulin, insulin-related and non-insulin-related substances was studied. A combined HPLC-HPCE system for the step-by-step control of recombinant human insulin production technology is suggested. The advantages and shortcomings of these methods are discussed.

Analysis of proinsulin and its conversion products by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Proinsulin is synthesized in the beta-cells of the endocrine pancreas, one of the four cell types found in the islets of Langerhans. Specific enzymatic cleavage of proinsulin results in the formation of equimolar amounts of insulin and C-peptide, via several intermediate split-proinsulin forms. Most mammals produce a single insulin, but in rodents two non-allelic insulin genes are expressed. There is an inverse ratio between the two insulins in rats and mice, the reason for this being unknown. It has been suggested that differences in transcription, translation (biosynthesis) and/or posttranslational processes (enzymatic conversion, intracellular degradation) could be possible explanations. Elevated amounts of proinsulin-immunoreactive material (PIM) have been described to occur in various conditions/diseases, suggesting alterations in beta-cell function, but the composition of the secreted PIM (intact proinsulin or its intermediates) has been incompletely determined. Studies of the biosynthesis of proinsulins and their conversion with the purpose of revealing some of these points depend on accessible reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) analyses capable of separating all the relevant, closely related polypeptides involved. This review will deal with the optimization of the RP-HPLC separations as well as sample preparation and recovery. Applications of the selected methods in the study of proinsulin biosynthesis and its conversion will also be presented.

Separation and quantitation of serum proinsulin and proinsulin intermediates in humans

Two reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) systems were developed for the separation of human insulin, proinsulin and the major proinsulin intermediates. The individual components were quantified using two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for insulin and proinsulin immunore-active material (PIM) after (passive) evaporation of the organic modifier. Serum samples from normal subjects and patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus were immunopurified and analysed in one of the RP-HPLC systems. The proportion of PIM relative to insulin immunoreactive material was higher in the diabetic patient compared with that in the normal subject. In both, PIM was heterogeneous, consisting of intact proinsulin and des-proinsulin intermediates.