Calcium chloride and arginine show diametrically opposite effects on antibody elution in Protein A and Protein L chromatography.

Protein A and Protein L affinity chromatographies are extensively used in mAb and bispecific antibody (bsAb) purification. In addition to product capture, they are both capable of separating certain product-related by-products and aggregates under appropriate conditions. For both types of chromatography, previous studies suggested that adding a salt additive to the mobile phase can significantly improve the resolution between product and by-products/aggregates. Nevertheless, the effects of different salt additives on antibody elution in Protein A and Protein L chromatography have not been compared. In the current study, we compared the effects of three salt additives, sodium chloride (NaCl), calcium chloride (CaCl), and arginine hydrochloride (Arg·HCl), on antibody elution in Protein A and Protein L chromatography. Interestingly, while NaCl suppressed antibody elution in both types of chromatography, CaCl, and Arg·HCl promoted antibody elution in Protein A chromatography but suppressed antibody elution in Protein L chromatography. In addition, we evaluated the effect of each salt gradient on aggregate removal by Protein L chromatography. The information provided by the current study should be useful to the selection of conditions/additives for improving by-product removal by Protein A and Protein L chromatography.