PURPOSE: To develop a method for calculating epimerisation parameters, find out if the kinetics of the independent reactions can be established, and elucidate primary structure-chemical degradation relationships in the degradation kinetics of three gonadorelin analogues. METHODS: The influences of pH, temperature, and buffer concentration on the degradation of the three gonadorelin analogues buserelin, goserelin, and triptorelin were investigated using RP-HPLC. A method was developed to calculate epimerisation and hydrolysis rate constants independently. RESULTS: Explicit structure-degradation mechanism relations were found in the degradation of all three compounds. The L-serine residue was found to be involved in both a solvent-catalysed backbone hydrolysis and a hydroxyl-catalysed epimerisation whereas, the O-tertiary butyl D-serine residue was only involved in proton-catalysed ether hydrolysis. The kinetics of identical reactions in different analogues were generally comparable. CONCLUSIONS: The degradation of the gonadorelin analogues is located at a relatively small number of chemical residues and prediction of the degradation mechanisms and kinetics of other peptides with similar structural elements appears to be possible.
PURPOSE: To develop a method for calculating epimerisation parameters, find out if the kinetics of the independent reactions can be established, and elucidate primary structure-chemical degradation relationships in the degradation kinetics of three gonadorelin analogues. METHODS: The influences of pH, temperature, and buffer concentration on the degradation of the three gonadorelin analogues buserelin, goserelin, and triptorelin were investigated using RP-HPLC. A method was developed to calculate epimerisation and hydrolysis rate constants independently. RESULTS: Explicit structure-degradation mechanism relations were found in the degradation of all three compounds. The L-serine residue was found to be involved in both a solvent-catalysed backbone hydrolysis and a hydroxyl-catalysed epimerisation whereas, the O-tertiary butyl D-serine residue was only involved in proton-catalysed ether hydrolysis. The kinetics of identical reactions in different analogues were generally comparable. CONCLUSIONS: The degradation of the gonadorelin analogues is located at a relatively small number of chemical residues and prediction of the degradation mechanisms and kinetics of other peptides with similar structural elements appears to be possible.