Studies on the binding of rhaponticin with human serum albumin by molecular spectroscopy, modeling and equilibrium dialysis

Food Antioxidants and Their Interaction with Human Proteins

Common to all biological systems and living organisms are molecular interactions, which may lead to specific physiological events. Most often, a cascade of events occurs, establishing an equilibrium between possibly competing and/or synergistic processes. Biochemical pathways that sustain life depend on multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to aging and/or diseases. This article deals with food antioxidants and human proteins from the circulation, their interaction, their effect on the structure, properties, and function of antioxidant-bound proteins, and the possible impact of complex formation on antioxidants. An overview of studies examining interactions between individual antioxidant compounds and major blood proteins is presented with findings. Investigating antioxidant/protein interactions at the level of the human organism and determining antioxidant distribution between proteins and involvement in the particular physiological role is a very complex and challenging task. However, by knowing the role of a particular protein in certain pathology or aging, and the effect exerted by a particular antioxidant bound to it, it is possible to recommend specific food intake or resistance to it to improve the condition or slow down the process.

Using fluorescence and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy to investigate the interaction between di-n-butyl phthalate and bovine serum albumin

The interaction between di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in physiological Tris-HCl buffer at pH 7.4 was investigated by fluorescence quenching technique. By analyzing the fluorescence spectrum and intensity, it was observed that the DBP had a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA through a static quenching procedure. The binding constants K and the number of binding sites n of DBP with BSA were calculated to be 0.11 × 10² L·mol^-1 and 0.52 at 298 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters of enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) were also calculated to be positive showing that hydrophobic forces might play a major role in the binding of DBP to BSA. The binding process was spontaneous in which Gibbs free energy change (ΔG) was negative. The distance (r) between the donor (BSA) and acceptor (DBP) was calculated to be 2.02 nm based on Forster's non-radiative energy transfer theory, which indicated that the energy transfer from BSA to DBP occurs with a high possibility. The synchronous fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) spectra showed that the binding of di-n-butyl phthalate to BSA induced conformational changes in BSA. The interaction between DBP and BSA can help researchers better understand the nature of poisons and serve people in the right way with first aid and detoxification.

Alternative and Injectable Preformed Albumin-Bound Anticancer Drug Delivery System for Anticancer and Antimetastasis Treatment

Biomimetic design has been extensively investigated. The only FDA-approved biomimetic albumin-bound paclitaxel may not be beneficial to some treated patients due to rapid dissociation upon intravenous infusion and no substantial improvement in the drug's pharmacokinetics or biodistribution. Herein, we developed an alternative and injectable preformed albumin-bound anticancer drug delivery. We combined HSA, Kolliphor HS 15 (HS15), and pirarubicin (THP) via purely physical forces in a thin-film hydration method to obtain an albumin-bound complex of HSA-THP. The lack of any chemical reactions preserves HSA bioactivity, in contrast to the destroyed secondary structure within AN-THP (albumin nanoparticle of THP) for the harsh manipulation during preparation. In vitro, HSA-THP showed a significantly higher cellular uptake efficiency than THP, and the complex was more cytotoxic. In vivo, HSA-THP showed longer half-life than THP. It also exhibited greater tumor accumulation and tumor penetration via gp60- and SPARC-mediated biomimetic transport than THP and AN-THP. As a result, HSA-THP showed strong antitumor and antimetastasis efficacy, with relatively little toxicity. These results suggest the clinical potential of biomimetic tumor-targeted drug delivery.

Polymyxins interaction to the human serum albumin: A thermodynamic and computational study

Polymyxin B and E (colistin), are a group of cationic charged cyclic antibiotic lipopeptides that are frequently used in the clinics to treat infections caused by the multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. Since the interactions with the blood plasma drug-transport proteins may play a critical role in determining their pharmacological and pharmacokinetic profiles, we studied the binding properties of polymyxins to the human serum albumin (HSA) under simulated physiological conditions by the combination of biophysical approaches, such as isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), fluorescence anisotropy, circular dichroism (CD) buttressed by computational studies. The HSA binding to the polymyxins was relatively strong (K_a ≈ 1.0 × 10⁷ M^-1). Molecular docking indicated that polymyxins bind to the cleft of HSA between domains I and III via the electrostatic interactions. This evidence was further confirmed by the entropy-driven interaction for the polymyxins bound HSA. Far UV-CD experiments showed that the secondary structure of HSA doesn't alter and its stable structure is preserved. Collectively, these investigations revealed that the polymyxins bind preferentially to the partially unfolded intermediate forms of the protein structure; however, HSA molecule does not undergo any significant conformational changes upon binding. This is promising as it may limit the unfavorable side effects of the medicine. On the whole, the results provide quantitative and qualitative insight of the binding interaction between HSA and polymyxins, which is important in understanding their effect as therapeutic agents.

Solvation effect and binding of rhaponticin with iron: a spectroscopic and DFT/TDDFT study

In this article, both experimental and computational methods are employed to investigate the photophysics of rhaponticin (RH). The bathochromic shift was observed in absorption and fluorescence spectra with increasing solvent polarity, which implied that the charge transition of RH involved was π → π*. The results showed that RH possess strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), and the most important parameter to characterize the photophysical behavior of RH is the intermolecular hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent. The hydrogen bonding effect occurred at the localized electron-acceptor oxygen at the glycoside bond. Density functional theory (DFT) and time dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) were used to obtain the most stable structure, electronic excitation energy, dipole moments and charge distribution. The result was found to be 2.23 and 3.67 D in ground state and excited state respectively. Fluorescence quenching of RH owing to the photoinduced electron transfer (PET) is facilitated in alkaline media. The pK_a value of RH was 6.39, which defined RH as a highly efficient “off–on” switcher. The effect of different metal ions on the fluorescence spectra of RH was also investigated, and the fluorescence quenching of RH depended on the nature of ions. The best performance was accomplished for binding with the Fe³⁺ ion. The interactions of RH with the Fe³⁺ ion were studied by FT-IR and HPLC, and the binding parameter was calculated by the Stern–Volmer equation. The results obtained reveal the binding activity of RH can make this a candidate as a good source of new agents for thalassemic patients.

In this article, both experimental and computational methods are employed to investigate the photophysics of rhaponticin (RH).

Synthesis and photophysical properties of deuteration of pirfenidone

In order to improve the metabolism of pirfenidone (5-methyl-1-phenylpyridin-2-one, PFD), the methyl-deuterated version of pirfenidone via the substitution of hydrogen (H) at C-5 by its isotope deuterium (D, 5D-PFD) was synthesized and its photophysical properties were investigated. The negative solvatochrom was observed in absorption and fluorescence spectra with increasing solvent polarity, which implied that intermolecular charge transfer (ICT) involved n → π* transition for both of PFD and 5D-PFD. The ground state and excited state dipole moment was calculated as 5.30 D and 3.30 D for PFD, and 3.70 D and 2.18 D for 5D-PFD, respectively, which suggested the more polar nature of PFD in the ground state than that of excited state compared with 5D-PFD. Density functional theory (DFT) results demonstrated a significant propensity of ICT from the electron-donor, methyl and carbonyl group to the amine group as an electron donor. The binding of metal ions with PFD or 5D-PFD induced a red-shift of π → π* transition and blue-shift of n → π* transition, respectively, indicating that the pyridone ring showed more stability upon binding of unoccupied orbital of metal ions with lone-pair electron of oxygen atom and thus prompted the electronic distribution on phenyl unit. Upon addition of metal ions, the aromatic region presented the characteristic upfield shifts, and the resonance contributed by 3-H showed a significant downfield chemical shift/deshielding effect, indicating the deduced resonance of 3-H and the improved electron distribution of phenyl unit. The binding and docking of human serum albumin showed that the affinity of 5D-PFD with HSA was lower than that of PFD, and also 5D-PFD might prefer to present free forms in the blood with better efficacy comparing with PFD. The pharmacokinetic of half-time (T_1/2) for oral and i.v. administration of 5D-PFD was found around 19 and 30 min, higher than that of i.v. administration of PFD, 8.6 min, reported by Giri et al. The results of this work suggest that the deuteration enhances the metabolism of PFD significantly with little change of physical-chemical property.

Human serum albumin binding of certain antimalarials

Interactions between eight in-house synthesized aminoquinolines, along with well-known chloroquine, and human serum albumin (HSA) have been studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. The synthesized aminoquinolines, despite being structurally diverse, were found to be very potent antimalarials. Fluorescence measurements indicate that three compounds having additional thiophene or benzothiophene substructure bind more strongly to HSA than other studied compounds. Competitive binding experiments indicate that these three compounds bind significantly stronger to warfarin compared to diazepam binding site. Fluorescence quenching at three temperatures (20, 25, and 37°C) was analyzed using classical Stern-Volmer equation, and a static quenching mechanism was proposed. The enthalpy and entropy changes upon sulphur-containing compound-HSA interactions were calculated using Van't Hoff equation. Positive values of enthalpy and entropy changes indicate that non-specific, hydrophobic interactions are the main contributors to HSA-compound interaction. Molecular docking and calculated lipophilicity descriptors indicate the same, pointing out that the increased lipophilicity of sulphur-containing compounds might be a reason for their better binding to HSA. Obtained results might contribute to design of novel derivatives with improved pharmacokinetic properties and drug efficacy.

Rational design of polysorbate 80 stabilized human serum albumin nanoparticles tailored for high drug loading and entrapment of irinotecan

Human serum albumin (HSA) nanoparticles are considered to be versatile carrier of anticancer agents in efficiently delivering the drug to the tumor site without causing any toxicity. The aim of the study was to develop stable HSA nanoparticles (NPs) of drug irinotecan (Iro) having slightly water solubility and moderate HSA binding. A novel strategy of employing a hydrophilic non-ionic surfactant polysorbate 80 which forms protein-polysorbate 80 complex with increased affinity and improvement in Iro-HSA binding has been used to maximize the loading and entrapment efficiency of Iro in HSA-NPs. Bespoke nanoparticles with entrapment efficiency (79.09%) and drug loading of 9.62% could be achieved with spherical shape and particle size of 77.38 nm, 0.290 polydispersity index and -23.7 mv Zeta potential. The drug entrapment in nanoparticles was confirmed by Differential Scanning Calorimeter, Fourier Transformation Infrared Spectroscopy and Fluorescence Spectroscopy. In vitro release of Iro from NPs showed biphasic-release with initial burst followed by prolonged release upto 24 h. The short-term stability investigation of nanodispersion showed no significant changes in physicochemical properties of NPs. Long-term studies on freeze dried Iro-HSA-NPs indicated good stability of NPs up to 12 months. This is the first report for efficient fabrication of Iro delivery system based on HSA nanoparticles.

Interactions of CT DNA with hexagonal NaYF4 co-doped with Yb(3+)/Tm(3+) upconversion particles

The interaction of UCPs with CT DNA are studied in detail by zeta potential, Energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric (TGA) analysis, DNA melting determination and various spectroscopic techniques including Ultraviolet-Visible (UV-Vis) absorption, fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that CT DNA can assemble on the surface of UCPs mainly by relative stronger hydrophobic force and electrostatic binding, and the predominant interaction site is the deoxyribosyl phosphate backbone of CT DNA. Moreover, after interacting with UCPs, the double helix structure of DNA is undamaged.

The binding behavior of itraconazole with hemoglobin: studies from multi-spectroscopic techniques

The interactions between hemoglobin (Hb) and itraconazole (ITZ) are investigated in details using UV-vis spectra, circular dichroism spectroscopy, steady state fluorescence, three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, synchronous fluorescence and time-resolved fluorescence spectra at molecular level. The UV-vis studies represent that ITZ can access into heme group and lead to it explored in aqueous medium. CD spectra suggest ITZ could combine with amino acid residues in polypeptide chain and cause a partial unfolding of Hb (reducing of the α-helix content). Steady state fluorescence/synchronous fluorescence (taking into account inner filter effects) and three-dimensional fluorescence/time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy results reveal that ITZ alters polarity and conformation around the fluorophore molecule. The interaction processes are static quenching mechanisms. The negative of ΔH(0) and ΔS(0) indicate that hydrogen bonds and van der Waals are the main force.

Comparison and investigation of bovine hemoglobin binding to dihydroartemisinin and 9-hydroxy-dihydroartemisinin: spectroscopic characterization

The UV-vis absorption, steady state/time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and synchronous fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy are used to investigate the interaction mechanisms of dihydroartemisinin (DHA) and 9-hydroxy-dihydroartemisinin (9-OH DHA), respectively. The UV-vis studies present that DHA and 9-OH DHA can disturb the structure of bovine hemoglobin (BHb). Steady state/time resolved and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy reveal that the binding constant of DHA with BHb is bigger than 9-OH DHA. CD spectra indicate DHA and 9-OH DHA can change the conformation of BHb. The comparison results suggest that the binding of BHb with DHA is more stable and stronger than 9-OH DHA.

Interactions of CT-DNA with Hypocrellin A and its Al(3+)-Hypocrellin A complex

In this study, the chelation of Hypocrellin A (HA) with Al(3+) in water solution has been synthesized, and the interactions of HA and Al(3+)-HA complex with calf thymus DNA are in detail compared by UV-vis and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, circular dichroism spectroscopy and viscosity measurement. The experiment results suggest that HA and Al(3+)-HA complex both could bind to CT DNA by intercalation mode, and double helix of DNA was damaged. Moreover, Al(3+)-HA complex not only displays higher absorption at therapeutic window but also displays stronger binding affinity to CT DNA than HA.

Solvent effects on the absorption and fluorescence spectra of rhaponticin: experimental and theoretical studies

Rhaponticin (RH) possesses a variety of pharmacological activities including potent antitumor, antitumor-promoting, antithrombotic, antioxidant and vasorelaxant effects. The fundamental photophysics of RH is not well understood. In this work, solvent effect on the photoluminescence behavior of RH was studied by fluorescence and absorption spectra. The bathchromic shift was observed in absorption and fluorescence spectra with the increase of solvents polarity, which implied that transition involved was π→π. A quantitative estimation of the contribution from different solvatochromic parameters, like normalized transition energy value (E(T)(N)), was made using the linear stokes shift (Δν) relationship based on the Lippert-Suppan equation. The ground state and excited state dipole moments were calculated by quantum-mechanical second-order perturbation method as a function of the dielectric constant (ε) and refractive index (n). The result was found to be 2.23 and 3.67D in ground state and excited state respectively. The density functional theory (DFT) was used to obtain the most stable structure, electronic excitation energy, dipole moments and charge distribution. The analysis revealed that the RH exhibited strong photoinduced intramolecular charge transfer (ICT), and the intermolecular hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent was the most important parameter to characterize the photophysics behavior of RH. The hydrogen bonding effect occurred at the localized electron-acceptor oxygen at the glycoside bond. The experimental and theoretical results would help us better understand the photophysical properties of RH.

A simple and rapid spectrofluorimetric method for determining the pharmacokinetics and metabolism of rhaponticin in rat plasma, feces and urine using a cerium probe

Rhaponticin (RH) demonstrates a variety of pharmacological activities, including antitumor, antithrombotic and antioxidant effects. It is essential to establish a simple, rapid and reliable analytical method for determining the pharmacokinetics of RH. A simple cerium ion (Ce(3+)) probe method was developed and validated to determine RH in rat plasma, feces and urine. The fluorescence intensities of the cerium ion (Ce(3+)) were quenched by addition of RH, along with a remarkable red shift. Spectral data revealed that fluorescence quenching of Ce(3+) by RH was due to the formation of a Ce(3+)-RH complex. Using to the Stern-Volmer equation, the binding parameters for interactions between Ce(3+) and RH were obtained. Based on these, a rapid and simple spectrofluorimetric method was developed to determine the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of RH using a Ce(3+) probe. The assay was linear over the concentration range of 0.11-9.52, 0.25-8.87 and 0.18-9.10 μM for plasma, feces and urine, respectively and RH recoveries were found to be 98.24 ± 0.8, 97.78 ± 1.2 and 97.54 ± 0.8% for plasma, feces and urine, respectively. The relative standard deviations were < 9.5%. The spectrofluorimetric method was simple and rapid for quantitative determination of RH and its metabolism, and was affordable for most laboratories because of the fluorescence spectroscopy and low equipment cost. These pharmacokinetic, bioavailability and metabolism studies of RH will provide helpful information for the development of suitable dosage forms and clinical references on rational administration.

Investigation and comparison of bovine hemoglobin binding to Al₁₃ and Al(III): evidences from spectroscopic studies

The UV-vis, steady state/time resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and circular dichroism spectroscopy are employed to investigate the interaction mechanisms of Al(13)-Hb and Al(III)-Hb, respectively. The UV-vis studies represent that Al(13) and Al(III) could directly disturb the structure of Hb and induce the heme group exposed to the aqueous medium. Steady state/time resolved and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy reveal that Al(13) and Al(III) can change the polarity around the fluorophore molecule of Hb. Al(13) makes the protein unfolding and Al(III) induces the protein buried inside the structure. The interaction processes are static quenching mechanisms and the main forces are electrostatic interactions. Moreover, circular dichroism spectra display Al(13) makes greater effect than Al(III), which is reflected on the degrees of α-helix of Hb. The comparison results suggest that Al(13) displays stronger toxicity.