Botulinum neurotoxin type-A (BoNTA) is one of the seven different serotypes (A to G) produced by Clostridium botulinum. A stability-indicating size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) method was developed and validated, and the specificity was confirmed by forced degradation study, interference of the excipients, and peaks purity. The method was applied to assess the content and high-molecular-weight (HMW) forms of BoNTA in biopharmaceutical products, and the results were compared with those of the LD50 mouse bioassay, the T-47D cell culture assay, and the reversed-phase chromatography (RPC) method, giving mean values of 0.71% higher, 0.36% lower, and 0.87% higher, respectively. Aggregated forms showed significant effects on cytotoxicity, as well as a decrease in the bioactivity (p < 0.05). The employment of the proposed method in conjunction with the optimized analytical technologies for the analysis of the intact and altered forms of the biotechnology-derived medicines, in the correlation studies, enabled the demonstration of the capability of each one of the methods and allowed for great improvements, thereby assuring their safe and effective use.
Keywords: LD50 mouse bioassay; T−47D cell culture; botulinum neurotoxin type A; reversed-phase chromatography; size-exclusion chromatography.