Photo-Degradation of Therapeutic Proteins: Mechanistic Aspects

Purpose: Therapeutic proteins are sensitive to photo-degradation by UV A and visible light. As none of the essential amino acids exhibits significant absorption in the UV A and visible light regions, the underlying mechanisms of photo-degradation induced by UV A and visible light are not well understood. This review addresses potential mechanisms, by which protein structure, oxidative modifications or impurities can promote the photo-degradation of therapeutic proteins during the exposure to UV A and visible light.