Unraveling the secrets of poloxamer 188

Polypropylene glycol (PPG) with a 1000-2000 Da molecular weight range was recently identified as a cytostatic impurity in poloxamer 188 (P188), demonstrating a need for enhanced PPG screening measures. PPG and high molecular weight poloxamer species. (HMW) are known byproducts of P188 synthesis and can decrease the growth of some CHO cultures at very low concentrations.
Here we discuss our work to identify the impact of these impurities, and the reversed-phase liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS) method we developed to screen for them in a single test. We present data demonstrating the feasibility of this approach and our results since implementing it.