title: Effect of protamine on the solubility and deamidation of human growth hormone.
abstract: The effect of protamine on the solubility and deamidation of human growth hormone (hGH) was investigated. Protamine is an extremely basic peptide. It is isolated from sperm cells of salmon where it can build a complex with DNA due to electrostatic interactions. We hypothesize a similar electrostatic effect between negatively charged hGH and positively charged protamine residues. Arising cationic complexes are stabilized by electrostatic repulsion. This stabilizing complexation allows solubilization of hGH down to a pH of 5.4 (pI 5.3) at concentrations of 3.4 mg/ml. The minimal solubilizing molar ratio between hGH and protamine was found to be at least 1:23 (hGH:protamine) by turbidity and dynamic light scattering (DLS) measurements. Complexation was characterized by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Electrostatic binding of protamine to hGH was also observed by a reversal in surface charge, as shown by zeta potential measurements. The presence of protamine did not alter the conformational structure of hGH which was determined by circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. A pH of 5.4 is known to slow deamidation of hGH and consequently retardation of hGH deamidation could be detected after 3 months storing by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC).
authors.affiliation: Research Center Pharmaceutical Engineering, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ablinger
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wegscheider
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prassl
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zimmer
mesh_terms: D000577:Amides / Q000737:chemistry; D002151:Calorimetry; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D004563:Electrochemistry; D005079:Excipients / Q000737:chemistry*; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007526:Isoelectric Point; D008027:Light; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D011479:Protamines / Q000737:chemistry*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D053838:Scattering, Small Angle; D012995:Solubility; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D014965:X-Rays
chemical_list: D000577:Amides; D005079:Excipients; D011479:Protamines; D019382:Human Growth Hormone