Spectroscopic probe analysis for exploring probe–protein interaction: A mapping of native, unfolding and refolding of protein bovine serum albumin by extrinsic fluorescence probe

The investigation of the interaction of warangalone with transferrin as a therapeutic biological macromolecule and the formation of a protein-ligand nanocomplex with superior anticancer activity against lung cancer cells

Though warangalone has shown anticancer properties against breast cancer cells, its colloidal stability and therapeutic index ought to be improved using a potential strategy, especially via protein-based (nano)carriers. In this research, transferrin was used as a plasma protein for the development of the warangalone-transferrin NPs. To investigate the mechanism underlying the formation of this complex, the interaction between warangalone and transferrin, as well as transferrin NPs, was analyzed using spectroscopic methods. The anticancer properties of warangalone and warangalone-transferrin NPs in lung cancer were subsequently evaluated. The findings showed that the hydrodynamic size, PDI, and zeta potential values of transferrin NPs were 122.4 ± 12.38 nm, 0.210, and -23.40 ± 3.28 mV, respectively. The association between warangalone and transferrin NP showed a strong binding strength (log Kb = 5.44 ± 0.07), while this affinity was reduced for the warangalone and the transferrin protein (log Kb = 4.88 ± 0.04). Theoretical research indicated that hydrophobic interactions serve as the main driving forces for the interaction of warangalone and transferrin. Cellular assays showed that the warangalone-transferrin NPs significantly affected cell death in lung cancer cells. This research, by offering promising data, could be highly beneficial for advancing warangalone-transferrin NPs as a promising anticancer platform.

Aminoquinoline-Pyrimidine-Based Alkyl-Piperazine Tethered Hybrids: Synthesis, Antiplasmodial Activity, and Mechanistic Studies

Though great progress has been made to eliminate malaria globally, effective and inexpensive strategies to design new antimalarials are still required due to the problem of drug resistance to the currently used antimalarials. Herein, in continuation of our efforts to improve the therapeutic efficacy of 4-aminoquinoline-pyrimidine (4-AQ-Py) based molecular hybrids, a series of 4-AQ-Py hybrids linked through diamine-piperazine (flexible and rigid) linkers was synthesized and assessed for in vitro antiplasmodial activity. In the in vitro assay, these hybrids exhibited excellent potency and selectivity index against both the chloroquine (CQ)-sensitive (D6) and CQ-resistant (W2) strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Compound 7i was found to be the most potent (5-fold more active than CQ) against the D6 strain, while compound 7e displayed the most potency (53-fold more potent than CQ) against the W2 strain. Furthermore, nine compounds (7d, 7f-i, 7l, and 7o-q) showed better antiplasmodial activity than the reference drug artemisinin (ART) against the D6 strain, and compared to ART, seven compounds (7d-e, 7i-k, and 7p-q) demonstrated better activity against the W2 strain. All the synthesized hybrids were found noncytotoxic against the mammalian VERO cell lines. Two potent compounds, 7e and 7i, were evaluated for their in vivo antiplasmodial activity against P. berghei-infected mouse models. Additionally, one of the best active compounds, 7i, was tested for heme binding, and docking studies were conducted with Pf-DHFR to determine the primary mechanism of action of these hybrids.

Photonics of Some Monomethine Cyanine Dyes in Solutions and in Complexes with Biomolecules

In search of new probes for biomolecules, the spectral fluorescent study of four monomethine cyanine dyes (MCD), both unsymmetrical and symmetrical, has been carried out in different organic solvents, in aqueous buffer solutions, and in the presence of DNA and HSA. The complexation of MCD with biomacromolecules leads to a steep growth of the fluorescence intensity. Complexes of MCD with dsDNA and HSA of various types were modeled in silico by molecular docking. Experiments on thermal dissociation of dsDNA in the presence of MCD showed the formation of intercalative complexes of MCD with DNA. Quenching of intrinsic fluorescence of HSA by MCD occurred with rate constants much higher than the diffusion limit, that is, in dye-HSA complexes. Effective constants of MCD complexation with the biomacromolecules were estimated. MCD 1 has the best characteristics as a possible fluorescent probe for dsDNA and can serve as a sensitive and selective probe for dsDNA in the presence of HSA. Photochemical properties of MCD complexed with DNA have been also studied. An increase in the quantum yield of the triplet states of MCD in complexes with DNA has been found, which may be important for using these dyes as potential candidates in photodynamic therapy.

Spectroscopic, molecular docking and dynamic simulation studies of binding between the new anticancer agent olmutinib and human serum albumin

In this study, the interaction between human serum albumin (HSA), which is the key bio-distributor of exogenous and endogenous compounds in the human bloodstream, and HM61713 (Olmutinib; OMB), which is used as an anticancer drug, is examined by multiple spectroscopic techniques (steady-state fluorescence, UV spectrophotometry, synchronous, and 3 D fluorescence) combined with molecular docking and molecular dynamic simulation investigations. The fluorescence results clearly demonstrated quenching in HSA fluorescence in the existence of OMB indicating the formation of complex and have also shown that the interaction is static. Fluorescence spectroscopy was used to obtain the binding constant values that revealed a strong interaction between the HSA and OMB at 298 K with a binding constant of 7.39x10⁴ M^-1 suggesting strong interaction. OMB binds to HSA at site I (IIA). Electrostatic forces and H-bonding were the main binding forces of main bonding between HSA and OMB as revealed by docking and thermodynamic results.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Spectroscopic and computational investigation of the interaction between the new anticancer agent enasidenib and human serum albumin

Enasidenib (EDB) is a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with an isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 (IDH2) mutation. This research aimed at utilizing experimental and theoretical approaches to characterize the binding mechanism between EDB and human serum albumin (HSA). Formation of an EDB-HSA static complex was demonstrated by quenching of the HSA intrinsic fluorescence by EDB. Using well known mathematical relations (e.g. Stern-Volmer and Lineweaver-Burk equations), the recorded EDB-HSA fluorescence data were interpreted and revealed binding constants in the magnitude order of 10⁴ M^-1 for the different investigated temperatures. These determined results were taken into further mathematical calculations to reveal the thermodynamic properties of EDB-HSA binding. Results demonstrated that spontaneous EDB and HSA binding takes place led by electrostatic forces. Computational docking studies have further confirmed the latter finding showing that EDB fits into the HSA Sudlow site I. Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to calculate the root mean square deviation (RMSD), root mean square fluctuation (RMSF), radius of gyration (R_g) and hydrogen bond parameters for the EDB-HSA complex.

Multi-Spectroscopic, thermodynamic and molecular dynamic simulation studies for investigation of interaction of dapagliflozin with bovine serum albumin

Dapagliflozin (DAPA) is a selective sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor that reduces renal glucose reabsorption. The drug has recently become a crucial milestone in the management of diabetes and heart failure. In this study, the interaction of DAPA with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated for the first time using various fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, UV-absorption spectroscopy, molecular docking, and molecular dynamic (MD) simulation. The fluorescence spectroscopic titration study performed at different temperatures showed that DAPA quenched the fluorescence of BSA through a combination of dynamic and static mechanisms, which was confirmed by UV absorption, fluorescence-resonance energy transfer measurements, and MD simulation. The binding thermodynamic parameters demonstrated that the binding stoichiometry between BSA and DAPA was 1:1. Competitive binding experiments using site-specific markers as well as molecular docking studies showed that DAPA binds to site I on BSA. The positive values of enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) revealed that hydrophobic forces played a predominant role in the binding of DAPA to BSA, whereas the negative value of Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) indicated the spontaneity of the interaction. Moreover, the synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy has shown that DAPA binding to the protein molecule occurs in the vicinity of the tryptophan residue. These findings were confirmed by the molecular docking and MD simulation studies.

Spectroscopic studies and molecular docking on the interaction of delphinidin-3-O-galactoside with tyrosinase

The inhibitory effects of delphinidin-3-O-galactoside (DG) on the activities of tyrosinase (EC 1.14.18.1) (TY) from the edible Agaricus bisporus mushroom were investigated by enzyme kinetics, multispectroscopic methods, and molecular docking. As a result, DG showed strong inhibition on TY with the IC₅₀ of 34.14 × 10^-6  mol L^-1 . The inhibition mode of DG against TY was mixed type with α values of 5.09. The binding constant K_a and related thermodynamic parameters at the three different temperatures showed that the fluorescence quenching of TY by DG was static quenching. Synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and circular dichroism spectroscopies confirmed that the conformation or microenvironment of the TY protein were changed after binding with DG. Molecular docking revealed that DG had strong binding affinity to TY through hydrogen bonding and van der Waals force, and the results were consistent with the fluorescence data. Our findings suggested that DG may be potential TY inhibitor.

The specific binding of a new 1,2,3-triazole to three blood proteins and it's appended rhodamine complex for selective detection of Hg2

A synthesized compound, ethyl 2,5-diphenyl-2H-1,2,3-triazole-4- carboxylate (EDTC) was investigated on its physiochemical parameters and structural properties by using the quantum-chemical method. The results on the theoretical spectrum of EDTC were line with experimental fluorescence and absorption spectrum in large degree. Then EDTC was successfully synthesized to a novel rhodamine-based fluorescent probe (REDTC), which showed a distinct fluorescence enhancement upon the presence of Hg²⁺ in dimethyl formamide-water (DMF-H₂O) buffer solution (pH 7.4). Meanwhile, the triazole appended colorless compound turns to pink upon complex formation with Hg²⁺ ions as 1:2 molar ratios and enables naked-eye detection. The chromogenic mechanism was determined by using spectroscopic measurements and TD DFT calculation. The fluorescence imaging experiments of Hg²⁺ in HeLa cell revealed that the probe REDTC could be labeled and it could be used in biological systems. Also, the intermediate EDTC was developed as a sensitive fluorescent probe for specific studies on the interactions to three kinds of blood proteins including human serum albumin (HSA), human immunoglobulin (HIg) and bovine hemoglobin (BHb) by using a series of spectroscopic methods and molecular docking under the simulative physiological conditions. The interactions between EDTC and these proteins led to the distinct fluorescence enhancement. The thermodynamic measured results further suggested that hydrophobic forces play a dominating role in stabilizing the complexes, which are in correspondence with the results from molecular docking. The UV-visible, synchronous, and three-dimensional (3D) fluorescence measurements demonstrated that EDTC influences the conformational of proteins and the microenvironment surrounding HSA, HIg, or BHb in aqueous solution.

Cu(ii)-induced twisting of the biphenyl core: exploring the effect of structure and coordination environment of biphenyl-based chiral copper(ii) complexes on interaction with calf-thymus DNA

Biphenyl core-based clip-like receptors get twisted after complexation with Cu²⁺. The extent of interaction of the optically active complexes with ct-DNA varies depending on the structure and coordination environment.

Gold nanorods–trypsin biocorona: a novel nano composite for in vitro cytotoxic activity towards MCF-7 and A-549 cancer cells

In the present work, we have synthesized cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) capped gold nanorods (Au NRs) to evaluate apparent binding affinities for the adsorption of trypsin (TRP).

Synthesis, DNA/BSA binding studies and in vitro biological assay of nickel(II) complexes incorporating tridentate aroylhydrazone and triphenylphosphine ligands

Two new nickel (II) triphenylphosphine complexes derived from tridentate aroylhydrazone ligands [H2L1 = 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)benzohydrazone and H2L2 = N'-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylidene)-2-hydroxybenzoylhydrazone] and triphenylphosphine were prepared and their molecular structures were determined by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Both nickel(II) complexes showed slightly distorted square planar geometry with one tridentate aroylhydrazone ligand coordinated through ONO donor atoms and one triphenylphosphine ligand coordinated to the nickel center through the phosphorus atom. DNA interaction studies indicated that both complexes possessed higher affinity to herring sperm DNA (HS-DNA) than the corresponding free aroylhydrazone ligand. Molecular docking investigations showed that both complexes could bind to DNA through intercalation of the phenyl rings between adjacent base pairs in the double helix. Meanwhile, bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies revealed the complexes could effectively interact with BSA and change the secondary structure of BSA. Further pharmacological evaluations of the synthesized complexes by in vitro antioxidant assays demonstrated high antioxidant activity against NO· and O2˙- radicals. The anticancer activity of each complex was assessed through in vitro cytotoxicity assays (CCK-8 kit) toward A549 and MCF-7 cancer cell and normal L-02 cell lines. Significantly, the Ni(II) complex derived from H2L1 ligand was found to be more effective cytotoxic toward MCF-7cancerous cell with the IC50 value equaled 9.7 μM, which showed potent cytotoxic activity over standard drug cisplatin.

Evaluating the effect of aminoglycosides on the interaction between bovine serum albumins by atomic force microscopy

Characterization and determination of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) plays an important role in molecular biological science. In this study, the effect of aminoglycosides (AGs: streptomycin, gentamycin, lincomycin and clindamycin) on interactions between bovine serum albumin (BSA) was evaluated employing imaging and probing adhesion event by AFM. Multi-spectroscopy and molecular docking were supplementary to investigate the acting forces of the effect. AFM measurements revealed the aggregation of BSA grains and changes of adhesion forces at single molecule level. With adhesion forces between BSA pairs decomposed by Poisson method, specific forces in streptomycin, gentamycin, lincomycin and climdamycin were obviously decreased with the rate of 33.1%, 26.4%, 32.3% and 31.3% while non-specific forces slightly decreased with 5.5%, 3.3%, 4.0% and 7.7%. Combined with results of multi-spectroscopy as well as molecular docking, the whole determination showed AGs affected PPIs by multiple forces, where the hydrogen bonding and hydration effect were the main reasons. The binding of drugs and proteins acted by hydrogen bonding affected the interaction forces between BSA. Consequently, AFM was proposed to be an effective and precise tool in application including evaluating the effects of exogenous compounds on biomacromolecular interactions and rapid screening of drug candidates to avoid potential damages in disease treatment.

The computational and experimental studies on a 1, 2, 3-triazole compound and its special binding to three kinds of blood proteins

A newly synthesized compound, ethyl 5-phenyl-2-(p-tolyl)-2H-1, 2, 3-triazole-4-carboxylate (EPPC) may be considered as a drug candidate and was exploited to study the structural and spectral properties by using quantum chemical calculation and multiple spectroscopic techniques. The results on theoretical spectrum of EPPC were consistent with experimental spectrum in great degree. In addition, EPPC has been as a special probe and investigated on the interactions with three kinds of blood proteins including human serum albumin (HSA), human immunoglobulin (HIgG) and bovine hemoglobin (BHb) by using UV-Vis, fluorescence spectroscopy and molecular modeling, respectively. Changes in various fluorescence and UV-Vis spectra were observed upon ligand binding along with a remarkable degree of fluorescence enhancement on complex formation under physiological condition with binding constant about 10⁵ order of magnitudes, which caused the variations of conformation and microenvironment of these proteins in aqueous solution. The obtained results from the thermodynamic parameters calculated according to the van't Hoff equation indicated that the entropy change ΔS° and enthalpy change ΔH° were found to be 0.168 KJ/mol K and 22.154 KJ/mol for EPPC-HSA system, 0.284 KJ/mol K and 54.408 KJ/mol for EPPC-HIgG system, and 0.228 KJ/mol K and 37.548 KJ/mol for EPPC-BHb system, respectively, which demonstrated that the primary binding pattern is determined by hydrophobic interaction. The results of docking and molecular dynamics simulation using three proteins crystal models revealed that EPPC could bind to three proteins well into hydrophobic cavity, which showed good consistence with the spectroscopic measurements.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Conformational and solution dynamics of hemoglobin (Hb) in presence of a cleavable gemini surfactant: Insights from spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, molecular docking and density functional theory

Herein, we have explored the conformational alterations of hemoglobin (Hb) in presence of a cleavable gemini surfactant (C16-C4O2-C16). The concerned surfactant was found to induce significant structural perturbations in Hb. UV-vis spectroscopy, steady-state/time-resolved fluorescence, and other utilized techniques have authenticated the complexation of Hb with the gemini surfactant. CD has demonstrated the alterations in secondary structural elements (α-helicity, β-sheet, β-turn, and random coil) of Hb upon C16-C4O2-C16 addition. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has revealed the existence of unique star-shaped gemini surfactant microstructures aligned to Hb in a necklace pattern. The ¹H NMR peak broadening and lower delta values hint at the binding of the concerned gemini surfactant to Hb. Molecular docking and DFT calculations have further substantiated the Hb-gemini complex formation and the involvement of electrostatic/hydrophobic forces therein. In future, these results might pave-the-way to construct self-assembled, sustainable, and green surfactant-protein mixtures for their end-use in industrial, engineering, biomedical, drug delivery, gene transfection, and other relevant excipient formulations.

Cationic double chained metallosurfactants: synthesis, aggregation, cytotoxicity, antimicrobial activity and their impact on the structure of bovine serum albumin

Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is one of the most copious and significant blood proteins with dynamic structure. The understanding of the structural functionality of BSA and its interaction with metal ions is desired for various biological functions. Herein, three different metallosurfactants containing different transition metals and the same hydrophobic tail were engaged to investigate the structural transition of BSA. The metallosurfactants have been prepared by a combination of metal ions (M = Fe, Co and Ni) with cetylpyridinium chloride surfactant via the ligand insertion method and were characterized by elemental, FTIR, 1H-NMR, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The obtained results reveal that insertion of a metal ion perturbs the aggregation behavior of the surfactant. Incorporation of a metal-ion has been found to decrease the CMC value of the surfactant, which has been supported by conductivity, surface tension and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). These metallosurfactants were employed to study the interaction and binding mechanism of BSA under physiological conditions. SDS-PAGE analysis points out a weak effect of metallosurfactants on the primary structure of BSA, whereas CD spectra implied a significant change in secondary structure with the decreased α-helical content of BSA. Fluorescence spectroscopy indicates the effect of metallosurfactants on the tertiary structure of BSA, whereas absorption spectra demonstrated static quenching with a blue shift in the presence of metallosurfactants. Moreover, unfolding of BSA in the presence of metallosurfactants has also been confirmed by SAXS studies. The overall results indicate that insertion of the metal ion into the framework of the surfactant structure enhances its protein binding/folding/unfolding abilities, which would be helpful in clinical as well as in life sciences.

Comparison of molecular interactions of Ag2 Te and CdTe quantum dots with human serum albumin by spectroscopic approaches

Ag₂ Te quantum dots (QDs) have attracted great attention in biological applications due to their superior photoluminescence qualities and good biocompatibility, but their potential biotoxicity at a molecular biology level has been rarely discussed. In order to better understand the basic behavior of Ag₂ Te QDs in biological systems and compare their biotoxicity to cadmium-containing QDs, a series of spectroscopic measurements was applied to reveal the molecular interactions of Ag₂ Te QDs and CdTe QDs with human serum albumin (HSA). Ag₂ Te QDs and CdTe QDs statically quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA by electrostatic interactions, but Ag₂ Te QDs exhibited weaker quenching ability and weaker binding ability compared with CdTe QDs. Electrostatic interactions were the main binding forces and Sudlow's site I was the primary binding site during these binding interactions. Furthermore, micro-environmental and conformational variations of HSA were induced by their binding interactions with two QDs. Ag₂ Te QDs caused less secondary structural and conformational change in HSA, illustrating the lower potential biotoxicity risk of Ag₂ Te QDs. Our results systematically indicated the molecular binding mechanism of Ag₂ Te QDs with HSA, which provided important information for possible toxicity risk of these cadmium-free QDs to human health.

Unraveling the interaction of hemoglobin with a biocompatible and cleavable oxy-diester-functionalized gemini surfactant

Surfactant-protein mixtures have attracted considerable research interest in recent years at the interface of chemical biology and medicinal chemistry. Herein, the interaction between a green gemini surfactant (C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆) and a redox protein hemoglobin was examined through a series of in vitro experimental techniques with an attempt to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the surfactant-protein binding interactions. Quantitative appraisal of the fluorescence/CV data showed that the binding of C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆ to Hb leads to the formation of thermodynamically favorable non-covalent adduct with 1:1 stoichiometry. UV-vis spectra demonstrated that the effect of C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆ on Hb is highly concentration dependent. Far-UV and near-UV CD spectra together elucidated the formation of molten globule state of Hb upon C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆ addition. Temperature dependent CD explicated the effect of C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆ on the thermal stability of Hb. Furthermore, the structural investigation of Hb via pyrene/synchronous/three-dimensional fluorescence and FT-IR spectroscopy provided the complementary information related to its microenvironmental and conformational changes. Computational studies delineated that C₁₆-E2O-C₁₆ binds in the vicinity of β-37 Trp at the α₁β₂ interface of Hb. Overall, this study is expected to clarify the binding mechanism between Hb/other congeners and surfactant at the molecular level that are known to have immense potential in biomedical and industrial areas.

Enabler for process analytical technology implementation in Pichia pastoris fermentation: Fluorescence-based soft sensors for rapid quantitation of product titer

Rapid quantitation of product titer is a critical input for control of any bioprocess. This measurement, however, is marred by the myriad components that are present in the fermentation broth, often requiring extensive sample pretreatment before analysis. Spectroscopy techniques such as fluorescence spectroscopy are widely recognized as potential monitoring tools. Here, we investigate the possibility of using fluorescence of the culture supernatant as a potential at-line monitoring tool to measure the concentration of a recombinant therapeutic protein expressed in a Pichia pastoris fed-batch fermentation. We propose an integrated method wherein both the target protein and total protein concentrations are predicted using intrinsic riboflavin fluorescence and extrinsic fluorescence, respectively. The root mean square error for estimating the concentrations of the target protein (using riboflavin fluorescence) and total protein (using extrinsic fluorescence) have been estimated to be <0.1 and <0.2, respectively. The proposed approach has been validated for two different biotherapeutic products, human serum albumin and granulocyte colony stimulating factor, that were expressed using Mut⁺ and Mut^s strains of P. pastoris, respectively. The proposed approach is rapid (1 min analysis time, 10 min total with at line sampling) and thus could be a significant enabler for process analytical technology implementation in Pichia fermentation.

The characterization of 1-(4-bromophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole on acute toxicity, antimicrobial activities, photophysical property, and binding to two globular proteins

1-(4-Bromophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole (BPT) was a newly synthesized compound. The acute toxicities of BPT to mice by intragastric administration have been determined and the result indicates that the intragastric administration of BPT did not produce any significant toxic effect on Kunming strain mice. It is also evaluated for the antimicrobial activity of BPT against three kinds of plant mycoplasma, Fusarium Wilt (race 4), Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. and Xanthomonas oryzae by different method in vitro. The compound exhibited distinct inhibitory activities against Fusarium Wilt (race 4) and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. by mycelium growth rate test and the values of EC₅₀ were 29.34 and 12.53μg/mL respectively. And BPT had also the most potent inhibitory activities against Xanthomonas oryzae when compared with that of control drugs by the agar well diffusion method. In addition, the structural and photophysical properties of BPT including ionization energy, electron affinities, and theoretical spectrum was studied by quantum-chemical methods. Then the interaction of BPT with two kinds of globular proteins, human immunoglobulin (HIg) and bovine hemoglobin (BHg) was investigated by using UV-vis absorption spectra, synchronous fluorescence, 3D fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence titration in combination with molecular modeling. UV-vis absorption, 3D and synchronous fluorescence measurements show that BPT has influence on the microenvironment surrounding HIg or BHg in aqueous solution and the fluorescence experiments show that BPT quenches the fluorescence intensity of HIg or BHg through a static mechanism. The binding parameters including the binding constants, the number of binding site and average binding distance between BPT and HIg or BHg at different temperatures were calculated. The thermodynamic parameters suggest that the hydrophobic interaction is the predominant intermolecular forces in stabilizing the BPT-HIg or BPT-BHg complex. Molecular docking was performed to reveal that the BPT moiety binds to the hydrophobic cavity of HIg or BHg and they are in good agreement with the spectroscopic measurements.

Changes in fluorescent dissolved organic matter upon interaction with anionic surfactant as revealed by EEM-PARAFAC and two dimensional correlation spectroscopy

Surfactants are present in significant amounts in both domestic and industrial wastewater, which may interact with dissolved organic matter (DOM). The present study investigated the interactions of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with three different DOM solutions, including bovine serum albumin (BSA), humic acid (HA), and the mixture of the two (BSA-HA), based on two advanced spectroscopic tools: excitation emission matrix (EEM) combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) and two dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2D-COS). The responses of two protein-like components to the addition of SDS differed depending the presence and the absence of HA. A decreasing and an increasing trend was observed for tryptophan-like (C1) and tyrosine-like (C2) components, respectively, in the BSA solution, while the BSA-HA mixture exhibited increasing fluorescence trends for both protein-like components. The conflicting results suggest that HA plays a secondary role in the protein-SDS interactions. No interaction between the SDS and humic-like component was found. 2D-COS combined with fluorescence spectra demonstrated that the protein-SDS interaction occurred on the order of C2 > C1 for the BSA solution but C1 > C2 for the BSA-HA mixture. Analyses of Scatchard plots confirmed the sequential order interpreted from 2D-COS, showing consistent trends in the binding constants. However, the presence of HA affected the protein-SDS interactions in different manners for C1 and C2, enhancing and reducing the binding constants, respectively. Circular dichroism spectra confirmed the occurrence of conformational changes in BSA with SDS. EEM-PARAFAC and 2D-COS successfully explained different interactions of surfactant with protein-like components in the presence of HA.

Electrical impedance monitoring of protein unfolding

We have applied electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) to investigate how the dielectric characteristics of protein aqueous solutions respond to varying amounts of a co-dissolved surfactant.

Binding of Fatty Acid Amide Amphiphiles to Bovine Serum Albumin: Role of Amide Hydrogen Bonding

The study of protein-surfactant interactions is important because of the widespread use of surfactants in industry, medicine, and pharmaceutical fields. Sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate (SL-Sar) is a widely used surfactant in cosmetics, shampoos. In this paper, we studied the interactions of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with SL-Sar and sodium N-lauroylglycinate (SL-Gly) by use of a number of techniques, including fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopy and isothermal titration calorimetry. The binding strength of SL-Sar is stronger than that of structurally similar SL-Gly, which differs only by the absence of a methyl group in the amide nitrogen atom. Also, these two surfactants exhibit different binding patterns with the BSA protein. The role of the amide bond and hence the surfactant headgroup in the binding mechanism is discussed in this paper. It was observed that while SL-Sar destabilized, SL-Gly stabilized the protein structure, even at concentrations less than the critical micelle concentration (cmc) value. The thermodynamics of surfactant binding to BSA was studied by use of ITC. From the ITC results, it is concluded that three molecules of SL-Sar in contrast to only one molecule of SL-Gly bind to BSA in one set of binding sites at room temperature. However, on increasing temperature four molecules of SL-Gly bind to the BSA through H-bonding and van der Waals interactions, due to loosening of the BSA structure. In contrast, with SL-Sar the binding process is enthalpy driven, and very little structural change of BSA was observed at higher temperature.

Dual-sensor fluorescent probes of surfactant-induced unfolding of human serum albumin

Two extrinsic fluorescent probes, 3-(dimethylamino)-8,9,10,11-tetrahydro-7H-cyclohepta[a]naphthalen-7-one (1) and 7-(dimethylamino)-2,3-dihydrophenanthren-4(1H)-one (2), are used to probe the unfolding of human serum albumin by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). These probes respond separately to the polarity and H-bond-donating ability of their surroundings. Competitive binding experiments show that fluorophore 1 binds to site I (domain IIA) and 2 binds to site II (domain IIIA). The local acidity of 1 in site I is out of the sensing range of 1, whereas the local acidity of 2 in site II is calculated to be nearly zero on Catalan's solvent acidity index. Both probes show that the first two equivalents of bound SDS result in a decrease in the local polarity of the binding sites. Each subsequent equivalent of SDS gives rise to a dramatic increase in polarity until HSA is saturated with seven molecules of SDS at the end of the specific binding domain. Compound 2 experiences an increase of acidity of 0.10 on Catalan's solvent acidity index through seven equivalents of SDS, but the local acidity for 1 is still out of range. The increase in acidity experienced by 2 is greater than the increase in polarity. This result is consistent with greater exposure of the carbonyl group in 2, but not the bulk of 2, to the aqueous solvent in site II of the SDS-saturated HSA complex.

Spectroscopic investigation on the food components-drug interaction: the influence of flavonoids on the affinity of nifedipine to human serum albumin

Nifedipine (NDP) is used extensively for the clinical treatment of a number of cardiovascular diseases. Herein, the interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and NDP and the influence of flavonoids, rutin and baicalin, on their binding properties were investigated in vitro by means of fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. The fluorescence of HSA was quenched remarkably by NDP and the quenching mechanism was considered as static quenching by forming a complex. The results of thermodynamic parameters indicate that both hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions play the main role in the binding process and the binding process was spontaneous. The binding distance between the amino acid residue of HSA and NDP is 2.608 nm, which indicates that the energy transfer from HSA to NDP can occur with high probability. The decreased association constants and the increased binding distance of NDP binding to HSA in the presence of flavonoids were both due to their competitive binding to the site I of HSA. The results obtained from synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra showed that the interaction between HSA and NDP caused the conformational changes of HSA and the synergism effects of NDP and flavonoids induced the further conformational changes of HSA.

Unraveling the binding interaction of Toluidine blue O with bovine hemoglobin – a multi spectroscopic and molecular modeling approach

Toluidine blue O (TBO) is a cationic photosensitizer that belongs to the class of phenothiazinium dyes.

Study of the structure-activity relationship of flavonoids based on their interaction with human serum albumin

The influence of functional groups on the interaction has been studied detailed here; fluorescence quenching degrees and the conformation change are considered through multiple methods; molecular docking has been introduced to verify related results.

Tyrosine fluorescence probing of the surfactant-induced conformational changes of albumin

Tyrosine fluorescence in native proteins is known to be effectively quenched, whereas its emission increases upon proteins’ unfolding.