<p>Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an analytical technique that is very useful for investigating processes that modify the charge and mass of proteins and polypeptide pharmaceuticals. This report explores the ability of CE to determine the aggregation constant between insulin molecules. Bovine insulin is a polypeptide (Mw=5733, pI = 5.3) that has two α-amino groups (Gly and Phe) and one ε–amino group (Lys). Analysis of concentration dependence of electrophoretic mobility of insulin at different conditions yields the association constant for dimerization of insulin. The association constant estimates how tight the peptide molecules are associated. The association constant is a useful factor to evaluate the purity of a peptide or protein sample.</p><p>The association reaction of bovine insulin molecules was found to be favoured by temperature. The association constants were 7200 M -1, 8000 M -1, and 36000 M -1 at 15 oC, 25 oC and 35 oC, respectively. The interactions between the peptide molecules increase at higher temperature, resulting in stronger association. The association constant was estimated to be 3000 M -1in the presence of dioxane (5%, w/v %) at 25 oC. However, the interaction sites remain to be explored.</p>

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an analytical technique that is very useful for investigating processes that modify the charge and mass of proteins and polypeptide pharmaceuticals. This report explores the ability of CE to determine the aggregation constant between insulin molecules. Bovine insulin is a polypeptide (Mw=5733, pI = 5.3) that has two α-amino groups (Gly and Phe) and one ε–amino group (Lys). Analysis of concentration dependence of electrophoretic mobility of insulin at different conditions yields the association constant for dimerization of insulin. The association constant estimates how tight the peptide molecules are associated. The association constant is a useful factor to evaluate the purity of a peptide or protein sample. The association reaction of bovine insulin molecules was found to be favoured by temperature. The association constants were 7200 M -1, 8000 M -1, and 36000 M -1 at 15 oC, 25 oC and 35 oC, respectively. The interactions between the peptide molecules increase at higher temperature, resulting in stronger association. The association constant was estimated to be 3000 M -1in the presence of dioxane (5%, w/v %) at 25 oC. However, the interaction sites remain to be explored.

The effect of environmental condition on the mechanism and kinetics of fibril formation for bovine insulin were investigated. Results showed environmental conditions played a significant role in determining the mechanism and kinetics of fibril formation. Increased protein concentration, elevated temperature, and higher ionic strengths induced insulin to form fibrils through oligomeric intermediates that were consistent with the nucleated conformational conversion (NCC) mechanism. Bovine insulin was also shown to generate fibrils without formation of oligomeric intermediates at study conditions of lower protein concentration, lower temperature, and lower ionic strength. Fibril formation without oligomeric intermediate can be described by the nucleated polymerization (NP) mechanism. Different relative amounts of oligomeric intermediate were generated at the various combinations of protein concentration, temperature, and ionic strength. The kinetic parameters, lag time, and rate of fibril formation, correlated with the relative amount of oligomeric intermediates detected. Longer lag times and slower rates of fibril formation were observed with greater amounts of oligomeric intermediate present. The effects of excipients, trifluoroethanol, ethanol, glycerol, and urea on the apparent rate constants of oligomeric intermediate and fibril formation were also investigated. At the concentrations studied, all the excipients tested were observed to decrease the rate and relative amount of oligomeric intermediate formation in an excipient concentration-dependent manner. The excipients were less effective at preventing fibril formation. In conclusion, bovine insulin can form fibrils with and without oligomeric intermediates. Protein concentration and environmental conditions, such as temperature, ionic strength, and excipients played a significant role in determining the relative amount of oligomeric intermediates, which in turn, determined the mechanism and kinetics of bovine insulin fibril formation under the conditions studied.