Elution of interferon beta from blue sepharose by poly(vinylpyrrolidone)

Interferon beta produced by a cell line (MRC-5) of human embryonic lung fibroblasts adsorbs to Blue Sepharose CL-6B and may be dissociated at neutral pH using a buffer containing poly(vinylpyrrolidone) and sodium chloride. Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) of Mr 2500 or of Mr 25 000 is equally efficient on a w/w basis. The effect of substituting volatile ammonium salts for the sodium chloride has been investigated. The benefits of the use of poly(vinylpyrrolidone) compared with the use of the commonly-used dissociating agent, 1,2-ethanediol, are discussed. It is concluded that interferon preparations eluted by poly(vinylpyrrolidone) from Blue Sepharose may be suitable for clinical use with minimal additional processing or formulation.