Photon correlation spectroscopy applied to characterisation of denaturation and thermal stability of human albumin

Synthesis and properties of a novel anisotropic self-inflating hydrogel tissue expander

The advent of self-inflating hydrogel tissue expanders heralded a significant advance in the reconstructive techniques available for the surgical restoration of a wide variety of soft tissue defects. However, their use in specific applications such as cleft palate surgery is limited on account of their isotropic expansion. An anisotropic self-inflating hydrogel tissue expander has been developed which markedly increases the potential indications for which this restorative tool may be employed. These include complex pediatric soft tissue reconstructions of the palate, nose, ear and digits. Anisotropic expansion in a hydrogel polymer network composed of methyl methacrylate and vinylpyrrolidone has been achieved by annealing the xerogel under a compressive load for a specified time period. By controlling the anisotropic processing conditions and composition we have been able to accurately tailor the ultimate expansion ratio up to 1500%. The expansion rate of the xerogel has also been significantly reduced by encapsulating the polymer within a semi-permeable silicone membrane. The structure and properties of the novel anisotropic hydrogel were characterized by attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analysis and small-angle neutron scattering.

Stabilization of a hydrophobic recombinant cytokine by human serum albumin

The objective was to evaluate the impact of pH and NaCl content on aggregation, particle formation, and solubility of a hydrophobic recombinant human cytokine in formulations with human serum albumin (HSA) as stabilizing excipient. While cytokine-HSA formulations were stable at physiological pH, a tremendous increase in turbidity at pH 5.0, close to the isoelectric point of HSA was caused by a partially irreversible precipitation. By dynamic light scattering (DLS), disc centrifugation, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and light obscuration it could be shown that the turbidity was mainly caused by particles larger than 120 nm. SDS-PAGE provided evidence that the precipitation at pH 5.0 was mainly caused by the cytokine. The HSA-stabilizers Na-octanoate and Na-N-acetyltryptophante were less effective in preventing the turbidity increase of unstabilized-HSA compared to NaCl. The interactions between HSA and cytokine were weakened by NaCl, as determined by fluorescence spectroscopy. The positive effect of NaCl on the formulation could be attributed to a direct stabilization of HSA and weaker interactions between HSA and the cytokine, which in consequence provided an overall stabilization of the cytokine.

Development of HSA-free formulations for a hydrophobic cytokine with improved stability

The goal was to characterize a hydrophobic cytokine with respect to oxidation and aggregation, as well as its adsorption to the container at different pH and ionic strength conditions. The tendency of the cytokine to adsorb on surfaces and its low solubility at physiological pH were the main challenges during the development of HSA-free formulations for the cytokine. When the formulation pH exceeded 5.5 precipitation led to significantly higher turbidity. This turbidity increase and elevated aggregation as determined by HP-SEC and DLS was more pronounced at higher glycine and NaCl concentrations. With rising pH protein adsorption was more distinct compared to pH 3.0. However, protein adsorption could be minimized by polysorbate 20 or the use of glass type I(+). FTIR revealed a reduced thermal stability at higher pH values indicated by a declining denaturation temperature. Five liquid formulations in the pH range 3.5-4.5 and five lyophilized formulations at pH 4.0-5.0 were stored for 6 months and the stability was evaluated with respect to aggregation and chemical modification. Liquid formulations at pH 3.5-4.0 and lyophilized formulations at pH 4.0-5.0 were most stable during 6 months at 2-8 degrees C.

On the hydrodynamics and temperature dependence of the solution conformation of human serum albumin from viscometry approach

The paper presents the results of viscosity determinations on aqueous solutions of human serum albumin (HSA) at a wide range of concentrations and at temperatures ranging from 5 to 45 degrees C. On the basis of a modified Arrhenius formula and Mooney's equation, the viscosity-temperature and viscosity-concentration dependence of the solutions are discussed. The effective specific volume, the activation energy and entropy of viscous flow for hydrated HSA were calculated. Different models of HSA molecule are discussed and the best one-from the hydrodynamic point of view-was established. At low concentration limit, such rheological quantities as the intrinsic viscosity and Huggins coefficient were obtained. Using the dimensionless parameter [eta]c, the existence of three characteristic ranges of concentrations: diluted, semi-diluted and concentrated, was shown.

Effects of Cosolvents and pH on Protein Adsorption on Polystyrene Latex: A Dynamic Light Scattering Study

Dynamic light scattering was used to study the adsorption of two proteins with different surface properties (IgG and HSA) on negatively charged polystyrene latex. The proteins were adsorbed from water and from water/methanol and water/glycerol mixtures at various pH. Some striking differences between the adsorption behaviors of the proteins were observed. Whereas the thickness of the adsorbed layer of HSA was extremely sensitive to pH and solvent composition, that of IgG was not. IgG mainly showed an end-on orientation on polystyrene whereas several different surface orientations are suggested for HSA under different conditions. The addition of methanol inhibited the adsorption of HSA on the latex, but it did not affect the adsorption of IgG. In contrast, the addition of glycerol increased the thickness of the adsorbed layers of both proteins. So, the orientation of IgG on the latex is insensitive to pH but is a function of the kind of solvent whereas both pH and solvent strongly affect the adsorption of HSA. This is a puzzling result since both cosolvents should equally affect the adsorption of both proteins if the dominant forces for adsorption are the same. Therefore, we concluded that, whereas hydrophobic interactions are the dominant force in the adsorption behavior of HSA, van der Waals forces are the main forces involved in the attachment of IgG to the lattices. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.