Spectroscopic investigation on the binding of bioactive pyridazinone derivative to human serum albumin and molecular modeling

Study on the binding of polystyrene microplastics with superoxide dismutase at the molecular level by multi-spectroscopy methods

Microplastics are harmful pollutants that widely exist worldwide and pose a severe threat to all types of organisms. The effects of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on organisms have been extensively studied, but the interaction mechanism between PS-MPs and superoxide dismutase (SOD) at the molecular level has not been reported yet. Therefore, based on multiple spectroscopic methods and enzyme activity measurements, the molecular mechanism of the interaction between PS-MPs and SOD was investigated. The multispectral results showed that the protein skeleton and secondary structure of SOD were altered by PS-MPs, resulting in decreased α-helix and β-sheet content. After PS-MPs exposure, fluorescence sensitization occurred, and micelles were formed, along with the enhanced hydrophobicity of aromatic amino acids in SOD. Moreover, the resonance light scattering (RLS) spectra result suggested that the PS-MPs and SOD combined to form a larger complex. Eventually, the activity of SOD was increased due to these structural changes, and the concentration of PS-MPs is positively correlated with SOD activity. This study can provide experimental support for studying the toxicological effects of PS-MPs.

Exploring bisphenol S removal mechanism with multi-enzymes extracted from waste sludge and reed sediment

4,4'-Sulfonyl-diphenol (BPS), as a widespread environmental hormone-like micropollutant, is difficult to be degraded in the environment. In this study, the removal of BPS with multi-enzymes extracted from waste sludge and reed sediment was studied at 298 K, 310 K, and 328 K. Results show that BPS could be removed efficiently and was time-temperature dependent, which could involve enzymolysis and bio-flocculation. The mechanism and pathways of the enzymolysis were identified with ultraperformance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS). Polymerization of BPS with enzymolysis further improved the removal by bio-flocculation due to the production of BPS oligomers. Furthermore, the interaction mechanism between BPS and multi-enzyme was explored through a series of spectroscopic experiments. Results show that more loose skeletal structure of the multi-enzymes and more hydrophobic microenvironment of the amino acid residues are responsible for the removal of BPS. This research not only provided a method for refractory micropollutants removal but also a way for the utilization of waste sludge and reed sediment.

Cytotoxicity and Oxidative Stress Effects of Indene on Coelomocytes of Earthworm (Eisenia foetida): Combined Analysis at Cellular and Molecular Levels

Indene (IND) is a kind of important aromatic hydrocarbon that is extracted from coal tar and has important applications in industry and biology. In the process of production and utilization, it is easy to enter the soil and produce toxic effects on the soil or organisms. The earthworm is an important organism in the soil. The toxicity of indene on earthworm coelomocytes is rarely studied, and the oxidative stress effects of IND on earthworm coelomocytes remain unclear. In this study, coelomocytes from earthworms and antioxidant enzymes were selected as the research targets. In addition, IND caused oxidative stress, and its related toxic effects and mechanisms were systematically studied and evaluated at the cellular and molecular levels. The results showed that IND destroyed the redox balance in earthworm coelomocytes, and the large accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) significantly inhibited the activities of the antioxidant system, including superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione (GSH), and caused lipid peroxidation and membrane permeability changes, resulting in a decrease in cell viability to 74.5% of the control group. At the molecular level, IND was bound to SOD by the arene-H bond, and the binding constant was 4.95 × 10³. IND changed the secondary structure of the SOD and led to a loosening of the structure of the SOD peptide chain. Meanwhile, IND caused SOD fluorescence sensitization, and molecular simulation showed that IND was mainly bound to the junction of SOD subunits. We hypothesized that the changes in SOD structure led to the increase in SOD activity. This research can provide a scientific basis for IND toxicity evaluation.

Molecular mechanism of two functional protein structure changes under 2,3-butanedione-induced oxidative stress and apoptosis effects in the hepatocytes

Food security has become closely watched with the occurrence of a series of food safety incidents in recent years. The widespread adoption of 2,3-butanedione (BUT), as a food additive, is an unpreventable significant risk factor to food security. Based on this, mouse hepatocyte AML-12 cells and two functional proteins (bovine serum albumin and lysozyme) were utilized as targeted receptors to study the adverse effects of BUT at the cellular and molecular levels. Results suggested that BUT could disrupt the redox balance of AML-12 cells, reducing glutathione (GSH) activity fell to 87.18 %, which cannot offset the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Meanwhile, the increasement of lipid peroxidation and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were observed. The mitochondrial membrane function was also abnormal due to the excessive accumulation of ROS and eventually leads to cell apoptosis and death. At the molecular level, the exposure of BUT could alter the skeleton and secondary structure of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LYZ), and it could statically quench the intrinsic fluorescence of proteins. The combined experiments confirmed proved the potentially toxic effects of BUT accumulation on the detoxification organ, providing theoretical support for the liver diseases caused by BUT exposure, and a reference for the risk assessment of occupational exposure of BUT.

Characterizing the binding interactions of sodiumbenzoatewithlysozymeat the molecular level using multi-spectroscopy, ITC and modeling methods

In this paper, we mainly study the interaction mechanism between food additives and antioxidant enzymes. Spectral methods were used to study the effect of sodium benzoate on the structure and function of lysozyme at the molecular level. Multi-spectroscopic results showed that sodium benzoate statically quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of lysozyme, formed complexes with lysozyme, increased the polarity of the aromatic amino acid, effected the molecular skeleton of lysozyme and stretched the secondary structure. The molecular docking and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) results showed that sodium benzoate entered the depression of the surface of lysozyme molecule both through hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bond. Sodium benzoate was linked to tryptophan (Trp-63) by a hydrogen bond with a bond length of 2.48 Å. Thermodynamic studies showed that the combination was spontaneous, as the values of the enthalpy change (ΔH) and the entropy change (ΔS) were calculated to be 12.558 kJmol^-1 and 25 kJmol^-1k^-1, respectively. Enzyme activity determination showed that Sodium benzoate increased lysozyme activity by 22.31%. This study can provide experimental support for evaluating the edible safety of sodium benzoate.

Development of Ag nanoparticle-carbon quantum dot nanocomplex as fluorescence sensor for determination of gemcitabine

Gemcitabine hydrochloride is an established chemotherapeutic agent in several solid tumors. In spite of outstanding therapeutic efficacy, there are some serious fetal side effects with gemcitabine in higher concentrations which necessitate developing a sensitive sensor for its quantification. Herein, a fluorescent metal-nanoparticles conjugated carbon quantum dot (MN-CQD) was prepared by a mixture of citric acid/ammonia sulfate and different metals using hydrothermal method. Based on the primary experiments, the efficiency of Ag nanoparticle-CQDs for gemcitabine determination was found to be much better than others. The AgNp-CQDs fluorescence was quenched by gemcitabine anticancer drug via photo-induced charge transfer which renders the system into fluorescence "OFF" status. Under the experimental conditions, the linear range of detection was 0.003-0.1 μM in an aqueous solution with a correlation coefficient of 0.96 and a limit of detection equal to 0.002 µM. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for gemcitabine determination was 3.4% (n = 3). Finally, after optimizing the conditions, the concentration of analyte was determined in real samples including human plasma and urine. These results confirm that the as prepared fluorescence based nanosensor can be used for sensitive quantification of gemcitabine in real samples.

Investigation of the Interaction Mechanism between Salbutamol and Human Serum Albumin by Multispectroscopic and Molecular Docking

Salbutamol (SBAL), a kind of short-acting beta 2-adrenergic agonist, has been mainly used to treat bronchial asthma and other allergic airway diseases clinically. In this study, the interaction mechanism between salbutamol and human serum albumin was researched by the multispectral method and molecular docking. The fluorescence intensity of HSA could be regularly enhanced with the increase of SBAL concentration. Both the results of the multispectral method and molecular docking showed that SBAL could bind HSA with van der Waals force and hydrogen bonds. The binding mechanism was further analysed by UV-Vis and synchronous fluorescence spectra. The contents of the secondary structure of free HSA and SBAL-HSA complex were evaluated using CD spectra.

Investigating the interaction between DNA-templated gold nanoclusters and HSA via spectroscopy

Gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) have attracted great attention in bioimaging and drug transportation due to their biocompatibility, but a few studies have shown their potential toxicity.

Spectroscopic methodologies and molecular docking studies on the interaction of antimalarial drug piperaquine and its metabolites with human serum albumin

Artemisinin-based combination therapy is widely used for the treatment of uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria, and piperaquine (PQ) is one of the important partner drugs. During the biotransformation of PQ, M1 (N-oxidation product), M2 (N-oxidation product), M3 (carboxylic acid product), M4 (N-dealkylation product), and M5 (N-oxidated product of M4) are formed by cytochrome P450 pathways. Despite decades of clinical use, the interactions between PQ and its main metabolites (PQs) with human serum albumin (HSA) have not been reported. In the present study, the binding of PQs with HSA under physiological conditions was investigated systematically through fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, and molecular docking methods. The experimental results show that the intrinsic fluorescence quenching of HSA was induced by those compounds resulting from the formation of stable HSA-compound complexes. The main forces involved in the interactions between PQ, M1, and M2 which bind to HSA were hydrogen s and van der Waals forces, while the interactions of M3, M4, and M5 were driven by hydrophobic forces. The main binding sites of the compounds to HSA were also examined by classical fluorescent marker experiments and molecular docking studies. Binding constants (K_b) revealed that the affinities of the PQ, M1, M2, M3, and M4 to HSA were stronger than that of M5. Additionally, the binding rates of PQs with HSA were determined by ultrafiltration methods. Consistent with the binding constant results, the binding rate of M5 was lower than the binding rates of PQ, M1, M2, M3, and M4. Furthermore, PQs binding to HSA led to conformational and structural alterations of HSA, as revealed by multi-spectroscopic studies. In order to investigate one possible mechanism by which PQs inhibit the growth of malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites, ¹H NMR spectroscopy was performed to investigate the interaction of the PQs with heme. This study is beneficial to enhance our understanding of the ecotoxicology and environmental behaviors of PQ and its metabolites.

Responses of catalase and superoxide dismutase to low-dose quantum dots on molecular and cellular levels

With the wider application of cadmium-containing quantum dots (Cd-QDs) in biomedical fields, it is easier for people to be exposed. Studies have suggested that Cd-QDs could release cadmium ion and induce oxidative effects due to the disruption of redox equilibrium. Antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), play an important role in organisms to resist the negative impact of exogenous substances. Molecular mechanisms of antioxidant enzymes with Cd-QDs remain unclear, however. In this study, structural and functional changes of CAT and SOD have been investigated under low dose Cd-QDs exposure. Cell viability, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, CAT and SOD activities were influenced by Cd-QDs in hepatocytes of mice. To further investigate the responses of CAT and SOD to Cd-QDs, multiple spectroscopic, calorimetric and activity measurements were carried out. Similar interaction patterns were observed that result in interaction force, structural and functional changes: Cd-QDs combine with CAT and SOD through hydrophobic forces; Intrinsic fluorescence of proteins was statically quenched by Cd-QDs and new complexes were formed; Also, the skeleton and secondary structure (with α-helix decrease) of CAT and SOD was influenced. Taken together, we suggest that Cd-QDs chosen in this study induce oxidative stress effects to hepatocytes but have not caused serious oxidative stress damage at concentrations below 10 μg/mL. MPA-CdSe/ZnS QDs caused the lowest level of oxidative stress which is associated with the induction of antioxidant proteins. This paper presents responses of CAT and SOD to low-dose Cd-QDs, and provides a reference for evaluating health damages caused by Cd-QDs.

Probing the mechanism of interaction of metoprolol succinate with human serum albumin by spectroscopic and molecular docking analysis

In the present work, the mechanism of the interaction between a β1 receptor blocker, metoprolol succinate (MS) and human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions was investigated by spectroscopic techniques, namely fluorescence, Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy (FT-IR), fluorescence lifetime decay and circular dichroism (CD) as well as molecular docking and cyclic voltammetric methods. The fluorescence and lifetime decay results indicated that MS quenched the intrinsic intensity of HSA through a static quenching mechanism. The Stern-Volmer quenching constants and binding constants for the MS-HSA system at 293, 298 and 303 K were obtained from the Stern-Volmer plot. Thermodynamic parameters for the interaction of MS with HSA were evaluated; negative values of entropy change (ΔG°) indicated the spontaneity of the MS and HSA interaction. Thermodynamic parameters such as negative ΔH° and positive ΔS° values revealed that hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic forces played a major role in MS-HSA interaction and stabilized the complex. The binding site for MS in HSA was identified by competitive site probe experiments and molecular docking studies. These results indicated that MS was bound to HSA at Sudlow's site I. The efficiency of energy transfer and the distance between the donor (HSA) and acceptor (MS) was calculated based on the theory of Fosters' resonance energy transfer (FRET). Three-dimensional fluorescence spectra and CD results revealed that the binding of MS to HSA resulted in an obvious change in the conformation of HSA. Cyclic voltammograms of the MS-HSA system also confirmed the interaction between MS and HSA. Furthermore, the effects of metal ions on the binding of MS to HSA were also studied.

Comparative Studies of Interactions between Fluorodihydroquinazolin Derivatives and Human Serum Albumin with Fluorescence Spectroscopy

In the present study, 3-(fluorobenzylideneamino)-6-chloro-1-(3,3-dimethylbutanoyl)-phenyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one (FDQL) derivatives have been designed and synthesized to study the interaction between fluorine substituted dihydroquinazoline derivatives with human serum albumin (HSA) using fluorescence, circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results indicated that the FDQL could bind to HSA, induce conformation and the secondary structure changes of HSA, and quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching mechanism. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH, ΔS, and ΔG, calculated at different temperatures, revealed that the binding was through spontaneous and hydrophobic forces and thus played major roles in the association. Based on the number of binding sites, it was considered that one molecule of FDQL could bind to a single site of HSA. Site marker competition experiments indicated that the reactive site of HSA to FDQL mainly located in site II (subdomain IIIA). The substitution by fluorine in the benzene ring could increase the interactions between FDQL and HSA to some extent in the proper temperature range through hydrophobic effect, and the substitution at meta-position enhanced the affinity greater than that at para- and ortho-positions.

Binding of Sulpiride to Seric Albumins

The aim of this work was to study the interaction of sulpiride with human serum albumin (HSA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) through the fluorescence quenching technique. As sulpiride molecules emit fluorescence, we have developed a simple mathematical model to discriminate the quencher fluorescence from the albumin fluorescence in the solution where they interact. Sulpiride is an antipsychotic used in the treatment of several psychiatric disorders. We selectively excited the fluorescence of tryptophan residues with 290 nm wavelength and observed the quenching by titrating HSA and BSA solutions with sulpiride. Stern-Volmer graphs were plotted and quenching constants were estimated. Results showed that sulpiride form complexes with both albumins. Estimated association constants for the interaction sulpiride–HSA were 2.20 (±0.08) × 10⁴ M⁻¹, at 37 °C, and 5.46 (±0.20) × 10⁴ M⁻¹, at 25 °C. Those for the interaction sulpiride-BSA are 0.44 (±0.01) × 10⁴ M⁻¹, at 37 °C and 2.17 (±0.04) × 10⁴ M⁻¹, at 25 °C. The quenching intensity of BSA, which contains two tryptophan residues in the peptide chain, was found to be higher than that of HSA, what suggests that the primary binding site for sulpiride in albumin should be located next to the sub domain IB of the protein structure.

High-Performance Affinity Chromatography: Applications in Drug-Protein Binding Studies and Personalized Medicine

The binding of drugs with proteins and other agents in serum is of interest in personalized medicine because this process can affect the dosage and action of drugs. The extent of this binding may also vary with a given disease state. These interactions may involve serum proteins, such as human serum albumin or α1-acid glycoprotein, or other agents, such as lipoproteins. High-performance affinity chromatography (HPAC) is a tool that has received increasing interest as a means for studying these interactions. This review discusses the general principles of HPAC and the various approaches that have been used in this technique to examine drug-protein binding and in work related to personalized medicine. These approaches include frontal analysis and zonal elution, as well as peak decay analysis, ultrafast affinity extraction, and chromatographic immunoassays. The operation of each method is described and examples of applications for these techniques are provided. The type of information that can be obtained by these methods is also discussed, as related to the analysis of drug-protein binding and the study of clinical or pharmaceutical samples.

Molecular mechanism on cadmium-induced activity changes of catalase and superoxide dismutase

Cadmium contributes to adverse effects of organisms probably because of its ability to induce oxidative stress via alterations in activities of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), but their molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We investigated the molecular mechanism of CAT and SOD response under Cd-induced oxidative stress in the liver of zebrafish. The enzyme activity changes observed in vitro were consistent with those seen in vivo, indicating the direct interaction of CAT and SOD with Cd contributes to their activity change in vivo. Further experiments utilizing multiple spectroscopic methods, isothermal titration calorimetry and a molecular docking study were performed to explore the mechanism of molecular interaction of CAT and SOD with Cd. Different interaction patterns were found that resulted in misfolding and changed the enzyme activities. Taken together, we suggest the misfolding of CAT and SOD contributes to their activity change under Cd-induced oxidative stress in vivo.

Spectroscopic and molecular modeling study on the separate and simultaneous bindings of alprazolam and fluoxetine hydrochloride to human serum albumin (HSA): with the aim of the drug interactions probing

The objective of the present research is to study the interaction of separate and simultaneous of alprazolam (ALP) and fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX) with human serum albumin (HSA) in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using different kinds of spectroscopic, cyclic voltammetry and molecular modeling techniques. The absorbance spectra of protein, drugs and protein-drug showed complex formation between the drugs and HSA. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that ALP and FLX could quench the fluorescence spectrum of HSA and demonstrated the conformational change of HSA in the presence of both drugs. Also, fluorescence quenching mechanism of HSA-drug complexes both separately and simultaneously was suggested as static quenching. The analysis of UV absorption data and the fluorescence quenching of HSA in the binary and ternary systems showed that FLX decreased the binding affinity between ALP and HSA. On the contrary, ALP increased the binding affinity of FLX and HSA. The results of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra indicated that the binding of drugs to HSA would modify the microenvironment around the Trp and Tyr residues and the conformation of HSA. The distances between Trp residue and the binding sites of the drugs were estimated according to the Förster theory, and it was demonstrated that non-radiative energy transfer from HSA to the drugs occurred with a high probability. Moreover, according to CV measurements, the decrease of peak current in the cyclic voltammogram of the both drugs in the presence of HSA revealed that they interacted with albumin and binding constants were calculated for binary systems which were in agreement with the binding constants obtained from UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The prediction of the best binding sites of ALP and FLX in binary and ternary systems in molecular modeling approach was done using of Gibbs free energy.

Investigation of the Effects of Various Cyclodextrins on the Stabilisation of Human Serum Albumin by a Spectroscopic Method

The binding parameters between cyclodextrins (CDs) and human serum albumin (HSA) were investigated by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), fluorescence quenching, and UV-vis absorption spectroscopy at 300 K in 50 mM phosphate buffer solution. Among the various CDs investigated, β-CD has the greater ability to decrease the aggregation of HSA and the results indicated that the inhibition order is γ-CD < α-CD < β-CD. The obtained heats for HSA+CDs interactions were reported and analysed in terms of the extended solvation model, which was used to reproduce the enthalpies of HSA interactions with CDs over a broad range of complex concentrations. The binding constant and thermodynamic parameters were obtained. These suggested that the binding reaction was driven by both enthalpy and entropy, and electrostatic interactions played a major role in the stabilising of HSA. The parameters and reflected the net effect of β-CD on the HSA stability at low and high cyclodextrin concentrations, respectively. The positive values for indicated that β-CD stabilises the HSA structure at low concentrations. The UV absorption intensity of theses complexes increased and a slight red shift was observed in the absorbance wavelength with increasing the CD concentration. The fluorescence intensity of HSA decreased regularly and a slight blue shift was observed for the emission wavelength with increasing CD concentration. The results indicate that the CD complex could quench the fluorescence of HSA and changes the microenvironment of the tryptophan residue.

Probing the binding of thioTEPA to human serum albumin using spectroscopic and molecular simulation approaches

The present work is devoted to probing the molecular interaction of N,N′,N″-triethylenethiophosphoramide (thioTEPA) with human serum albumin (HSA) using UV-visible and fluorescence spectroscopies. Further, molecular dynamics and molecular docking simulations were used to investigate the binding site of thioTEPA. The outcomes of the spectroscopic observations and also the Stern−Volmer and van’t Hoff equations were employed to determine the binding thermodynamic parameters. It was found out that the interaction of thioTEPA with HSA is enthalpy driven through a quenching mechanism that is both static and dynamic at domain I of HSA. No significant changes in the local and overall secondary structure, polarity, and hydrophobicity of HSA were observed. The low values of binding free energies and binding constants are evidence for necessary high dosage of thioTEPA in chemotherapies. These results may be attributed to the spherical geometry and steric hindrance of the free vibrating aziridinyl groups of thioTEPA.

Study on the bindings of dichlorprop and diquat dibromide herbicides to human serum albumin by spectroscopic methods

The interactions of dichlorprop (DCP) and diquat dibromide (DQ) herbicides with human serum albumin (HSA) protein were studied by UV absorption, fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Both DCP and DQ quenched the fluorescence emission spectrum of HSA through the static quenching mechanism. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant, binding constant, the number of binding sites and thermodynamic parameters were determined at 288K, 298K, 310K and 318K. In HSA-DCP and HSA-DQ systems, an increase in temperature led to a decrease in the Stern-Volmer quenching constant and binding constant. One binding site was obtained for DCP and DQ on HSA. It was found that DCP can bind to HSA with higher affinity than DQ. Negative ΔH and positive ΔS values were obtained for the binding processes between protein and herbicide molecules. This result displayed that electrostatic interactions play a major role in the formation of HSA-DCP and HSA-DQ complexes. The binding processes were exothermic reactions and spontaneous. In addition, synchronous fluorescence and CD spectra of HSA revealed that the binding of DCP to HSA did not cause a significant conformational change in protein, but the interaction of DQ with HSA led to an alteration in the protein structure.

Binding site identification of metformin to human serum albumin and glycated human serum albumin by spectroscopic and molecular modeling techniques: a comparison study

The interaction between metformin and human serum albumin (HSA), as well as its glycated form (gHSA) was investigated by multiple spectroscopic techniques, zeta potential, and molecular modeling under physiological conditions. The steady state and time-resolved fluorescence data displayed the quenching mechanism of HSA-metformin and gHSA-metformin was static. The binding information, including the binding constants, number of binding sites, effective quenching constant showed that the binding affinity of metformin to HSA was greater than to gHSA which also confirmed by anisotropy measurements. It was determined that metformin had two and one set of binding sites on HSA and gHSA, respectively. Far-UV CD spectra of proteins demonstrated that the α-helical content decreased with increasing metformin concentration. The zeta potential and resonance light scattering (RLS) diagrams provided that lower drug concentration induced metformin aggregation on gHSA surface as compare to HSA. The increase in polarizability was one of the important factors for the enhancement of RLS and the formation of drug/protein complexes. The zeta potential results suggested that both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions played important roles in the protein-metformin complex formation. Site marker experiments and molecular modeling showed that the metformin bound to subdomain IIIA (Sudlow's site II) on HSA and gHSA.

Molecular spectroscopic on interaction between Methyl hesperidin and Buman serum albumin

The interaction of Methyl hesperidin (MH) with Buman serum albumin was studied by spectroscopic methods including Fluorescence quenching technology, UV absorbance spectra and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy under simulative physiological conditions. The result of fluorescence titration revealed that Methyl hesperidin could quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA and the quenching mechanism should be a combined quenching process. The binding constants at three temperatures (296, 303, and 310 K) were 1.82, 2.69, and 3.4 × 10(4)L mol(-1), respectively. The distance between donor (BSA) and acceptor (MH) was 5.54 nm according to the Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer. In addition, FT-IR spectroscopy showed that the binding of MH to BSA changed the secondary structure of protein.

Study of the interaction of deoxynivalenol with human serum albumin by spectroscopic technique and molecular modelling

The mechanism of interaction between deoxynivalenol (DON) and human serum albumin (HSA) was studied using spectroscopic methods including fluorescence spectra, UV-VIS, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and circular dichroism (CD). The quenching mechanism was investigated in terms of the association constants, number of binding sites and basic thermodynamic parameters. The distance between the HSA donor and the acceptor DON was 2.80 nm as derived from fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The secondary structure compositions of free HSA and its DON complexes were estimated by the FT-IR spectra. Alteration of the secondary protein structure in the presence of DON was confirmed by UV-VIS and CD spectroscopy. Molecular modelling revealed that a DON-protein complex was stabilised by hydrophobic forces and hydrogen bonding. It was potentially useful for elucidating the toxigenicity of DON when combined with biomolecular function effect, transmembrane transport, toxicological testing and the other experiments.

Impact of halogen substituents on interactions between 2-phenyl-2,3-dihydroqulinazolin-4(1H)-one derivatives and human serum albumin

A novel type of 2-(un)substituted phenyl-2,3-dihydroquinazolin-4(1H)-one (DQL) derivatives were designed and synthesized to study the impact of halogen substituents on interactions between DQL and human serum albumin (HSA) by comparison methodology. The interactions between DQL and HSA were studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The intrinsic fluorescence of human serum albumin was quenched by DQL through a static quenching mechanism. Site marker competitive experiments showed that DQL bound to HSA in site II (subdomain IIIA). The binding constants, the numbers of binding sites and the thermodynamic parameters were measured too. The results indicated that the interactions were spontaneous, mainly through hydrophobic forces, and the substitution by halogen atoms in the benzene ring could increase the interactions between DQL and HSA. Furthermore, the binding affinity was enhanced gradually with the increasing of halogen atomic number.

Lessons from the crystallographic analysis of small molecule binding to human serum albumin

SUMMARY

Human serum albumin (HSA) is an abundant and highly soluble plasma protein with the capacity to bind a remarkably diverse set of lipophilic anionic compounds so that it fulfils important roles in the transport of nutrients, hormones and toxins. The protein attracts great interest from the pharmaceutical industry since it can also bind a variety of drug molecules, impacting their delivery and efficacy. Our understanding of the binding and transport properties of albumin has been transformed by structural studies of the protein, in which crystallographic analysis has played a leading role. This review summarises the main insights to have accrued from this work, highlighting the significant advances that have been made but also pointing out some of the challenges ahead. Since further progress is likely to benefit from increased structural scrutiny of HSA, methodological developments instrumental to the success of crystallographic analysis of the protein are discussed in some detail.

Spectroscopic investigation on the binding of antineoplastic drug oxaliplatin to human serum albumin and molecular modeling

This study was designed to examine the interaction of oxaliplatin with human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions by using fluorescence, absorption, FT-IR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopic techniques in combination with molecular docking study. Spectroscopic analysis of the emission quenching at different temperatures has revealed that the quenching mechanism of oxaliplatin with HSA was static quenching mechanism. The value of 1.64nm for the distance r between the donor (HSA) and acceptor (oxaliplatin) was derived from the fluorescence resonance energy transfer. From the CD and FT-IR results, it was apparent that the interaction of oxaliplatin with HSA caused a conformational change of the protein. Molecular docking study showed that oxaliplatin bind to residues located in subdomain IIA of HSA. The effect of metal ions and amino acids on the binding constant of HSA-oxaliplatin complex was also discussed.