Interactions
of a lyophilized peptide with water and excipients
in a solid matrix were explored using photolytic labeling. A model
peptide “KLQ” (Ac–QELHKLQ–NHCH3) was covalently labeled with NHS–diazirine (succinimidyl
4,4′-azipentanoate), and the labeled peptide (KLQ–SDA)
was formulated and exposed to UV light in both solution and lyophilized
solids. Solid samples contained the following excipients at a 1:400
molar ratio: sucrose, trehalose, mannitol, histidine, or arginine.
Prior to UV exposure, the lyophilized solids were exposed to various
relative humidity (RH) environments (8, 13, 33, 45, and 78%), and
the resulting solid moisture content (Karl Fischer titration) and
glass transition temperature (T
g; differential
scanning calorimetry, DSC) were measured. To initiate photolytic labeling,
solution and solid samples were exposed to UV light at 365 nm for
30 min. Photolytic-labeling products were quantified using reversed-phase
high-performance liquid chromatography (rp-HPLC) and mass spectrometry
(MS). In lyophilized solids, studies excluding oxygen and using H2
18O confirmed that the source of oxygen in KLQ
adducts with a mass increase of 18 amu are attributable to reaction
with water, while those with a mass increase of 16 amu are not attributable
to reaction with either water or molecular oxygen. In solids containing
sucrose or trehalose, peptide–excipient adducts decreased with
increasing solid moisture content, while peptide–water adducts
increased only at lower RH exposure and then plateaued, in partial
agreement with the water replacement hypothesis.