Study on the thermal stability of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in glucose parenteral formulations

• Published in: International journal of pharmaceutics 2007-06, Vol.337 (1), p.109-117
• Main Authors: Ishii, Marina, Kunimura, Juliana S., Penna, Thereza Christina Vessoni, Cholewa, Olivia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Buffers; Cloning, Molecular; Decimal reduction time ( D-value); Drug Contamination - prevention & control; Escherichia coli - genetics; Escherichia coli - metabolism; General pharmacology; Glucose; Glucose - chemistry; Green fluorescent protein (GFP); Green Fluorescent Proteins - biosynthesis; Green Fluorescent Proteins - chemistry; Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics; Green Fluorescent Proteins - isolation & purification; Hot Temperature; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Infusions, Parenteral; Kinetics; Large volume parenteral solutions; Luminescent Agents - chemistry; Luminescent Agents - isolation & purification; Luminescent Agents - metabolism; Medical sciences; Pharmaceutical Solutions; Pharmaceutical technology. Pharmaceutical industry; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Protein Denaturation; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Spectrometry, Fluorescence; Sterilization - methods; Thermal stability
• ISSN: 0378-5173; 1873-3476
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2006.12.041

Large volume parenteral solutions (LVPS) that are widely used in the healthcare system must be processed by moist-heat treatment to an assured sterility level in which the efficacy is measured by a bioindicator (BI) that provides fast, accurate and reliable results. This study evaluated the thermal stability of green fluorescent protein (GFP) into glucose-based LVPS (1.5–50%) solutions to determine its utility as a BI for thermal processes. GFP, expressed by Escherichia coli, isolated/purified by TPP/HIC, was diluted in buffered (each 10 mM: Tris–EDTA, pH 8; phosphate, pH 6 and 7; acetate, pH 5) and in water for injection (WFI; pH 6.70 ± 0.40) glucose solutions (1.5–50%) and exposed to constant temperatures from 80 °C to 95 °C. The thermal stability was expressed in decimal reduction time ( D-value, time required to reduce 90% of the GFP fluorescence intensity). At 95 °C, the D-values for GFP in 1.5–50% glucose were: (i) 1.63 ± 0.23 min (pH 5); (ii) 2.64 ± 0.26 min (WFI); (iii) 2.50 ± 0.18 min (pH 6); (iv) 3.24 ± 0.28 min (pH 7); (v) 2.89 ± 0.44 min (pH 8). By the convenient measure of fluorescence intensity and its thermal stability, GFP has the potential as a BI to assay the efficacy of moist-heat processing of LVPS at temperatures ≤100 °C.