Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 20, 2026

Flash NanoPrecipitation for the Encapsulation of Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Compounds in Polymeric Nanoparticles
Published on: January 7, 2019
Nanoparticulate Impurities Isolated from Pharmaceutical-Grade Sucrose Are a Potential Threat to Protein Stability
Daniel Weinbuch1,2, Mitchel Ruigrok1,2, Wim Jiskoot1,2
1Coriolis Pharma Research GmbH, Fraunhoferstr, 18b, 82152 Martinsried, Munich, Germany.
Purpose:
To investigate the effect of nanoparticulate impurities (NPIs) isolated from pharmaceutical-grade sucrose, on the stability of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
Methods:
NPIs were purified from pharmaceutical-grade sucrose and spiked into trastuzumab, rituximab, infliximab, and cetuximab formulations. The stability of the mAbs as a function of storage time, temperature, and NPI concentration was assessed by visual inspection, flow-imaging microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, size-exclusion chromatography, capillary isoelectric focusing, and intrinsic differential scanning fluorimetry.
Results:
NPIs negatively affected the stability of all mAbs, albeit it to different extents. After spiking with NPIs, trastuzumab formulations showed high numbers of μm-sized particles and turbidity, rituximab and cetuximab formulations contained high numbers of nm-sized particles, while infliximab formed nm- and μm-sized particles, and showed turbidity. Low-molecular-weight species were observed for rituximab and infliximab, whereas high-molecular-weight species were detected for cetuximab. Whereas the stability of trastuzumab and infliximab formulations was affected directly after spiking NPIs, degradation of rituximab and cetuximab was observed only after 14 weeks at elevated temperatures. Moreover, the stability of rituximab and infliximab was affected by NPI concentrations that are potentially present in final drug products.
Conclusions:
The presence of sucrose-derived NPIs in (bio-)pharmaceutical formulations may pose a threat to the stability of mAbs.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Excipients and Impurities-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence
Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Polymorphic Form-Related and Particle Size-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence
Factors Affecting Dissolution: Particle Size and Effective Surface Area
Colloidal precipitates

