Comparison of methionine oxidation in thermal stability and chemically stressed samples of a fully human monoclonal antibody

Methionine (Met) oxidation is a major degradation pathway of protein therapeutics. Met oxidation of a fully human recombinant monoclonal antibody was investigated under both chemically stressed conditions using tert-butylhydroperoxide (tBHP) and thermal stability conditions where the sample was incubated in formulation buffer at 25 °C for 12 months. This antibody has one Met residue on each of the light chains and four Met residues on each of the heavy chains. In the thermal stability sample, only Met residues 256 and 432 in the Fc region were oxidized to form methionine sulfoxide, while Met residues in the Fab region were relatively stable. The susceptibility of Met residues 256 and 432 was further confirmed by incubating samples with tBHP, which has been shown to induce Met oxidation. Further analysis revealed that the susceptible Met residues of each heavy chain were randomly oxidized in samples incubated with tBHP, while in the thermal stability sample, the susceptible Met residues of one heavy chain were preferentially oxidized.