Binding of the Promen fluorescent probe to human serum albumin: a fluorescence spectroscopic study

Differential-based biosensor array for fluorescence-chemometric discrimination and the quantification of subtle chloropropanols by cross-reactive serum albumin scaffolding

Food contamination is a serious concern because of a high level of chemicals in food causes severe health issues. Safeguarding the public from the risk of adulterated foods has become a challenging mission. Chloropropanols are of importance to food safety and food security because they are common chemical food contaminants and believed to be carcinogenic to humans. In chemical sensing, chloropropanols are challenging analytes owing to the lacking diversity of functional groups and difficulty in targeting the hydroxyl group in aqueous environments. Moreover, because of their small molecular size, the compositions of chloropropanols remain challenging for achieving chromatographic determination. Herein, to simulate human smell and taste sensations, serum albumins, which are protein-based receptors, were introduced as low-selective receptors for differential sensing. Utilizing serum albumins, a fluorophore (PRODAN), and an additive (ascorbic acid), a differential-based optical biosensor array was developed to detect and differentiate chloropropanols. By integrating the sensor array with linear discriminant analysis (LDA), four chloropropanols were effectively differentiated based on their isomerism properties and the number of the hydroxyl groups, even at ultra-low concentration (5 nM). This concentration is far below the maximum tolerable level of 0.18 μM for chloropropanols. The sensing array was then employed for chloropropanols differentiation and quantification in the complex mixtures (e.g., synthetic soy and dark soy sauces). Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV) analysis demonstrated 100% accurate classification for all tests. These results signify our differential sensing array as a practical and powerful tool to speedily identify, differentiate, and even quantify chloropropanols in food matrices.

Molecular insight into the binding aspects of benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid nitidine with bovine hemoglobin: A biophysical exploration

The association of a putative bioactive alkaloid nitidine (NIT) with blood protein bovine hemoglobin (BHb) was investigated by employing various biophysical and molecular docking techniques. NIT binding to BHb was first characterized by hypochromic effect on the Soret band absorption of BHb from spectrophotometric studies. Spectrofluorimetric titration and unchanged fluorescence lifetime of BHb confirmed ground state complexation followed by the static nature of the emission quenching mechanism of the protein induced by NIT. Substantial conformational changes in the protein structure were established from circular dichroism study. Conformational perturbation results a lowering in the α-helical organization of the tetrameric protein structure. Thermodynamics of the binding suggest that the binding is exothermic with a favourable small positive entropy change and negative enthalpy change making a sense of electrostatic interaction as the major acting force. Experimentally calculated free energy change for the NIT-BHb interaction was found to be -7.50 kcal mol^-1 which is in well agreement to the theoretical docking energy value of -6.36 kcal mol^-1. AutoDock based molecular docking suggests the internal cavity of BHb as the preferred binding position of NIT. Overall this manuscript depicts consequences on the molecular interaction of NIT with BHb from structural and energetic standpoints providing a profound insight into protein-ligand association.

Investigation of the effect for bisphenol A on oxidative stress in human hepatocytes and its interaction with catalase

Bisphenol A (BPA) as a chemical raw material, is widely used in the manufacturing process of daily necessities. It was reported that BPA could induce oxidative stress, and catalase (CAT) can protect the body from oxidative stress. In this paper, the effect of BPA on CAT was carried out in vitro and in vivo. Firstly, we studied the effects of BPA on oxidative stress, cell viability and CAT activity in human hepatocytes, and the results of vitro experiments show that the survival rate of hepatocytes significant decreased along with the increase of BPA concentration. And when the BPA concentration was 100 μM, the hepatocyte survival decreased by 13.2%, ROS levels in the cells increased by 85%. However, the activity of intracellular CAT increased with the increasing concentration of BPA in 24 h. The results of vivo experiments showed that the activity of CAT in the high-dose group decreased by 29.1% compared with the control group. The long-term effects of BPA on rats reduced the CAT activity in liver, which reduced the resistance to oxidative stress. Meanwhile, the interaction mechanism between BPA and CAT at the molecule level was performed via multiple spectra methods and molecular docking, and the results illustrated that the structural change of CAT is mainly due to the strong combination of BPA with the residues of Trp185. In addition, the interaction mechanism between BPA and CAT were hydrophobic and electrostatic effect. This study provided experimental evidence for better understanding the toxicity of BPA.

EPR studies of intermolecular interactions and competitive binding of drugs in a drug-BSA binding model

Understanding intermolecular interactions between drugs and proteins is very important in drug delivery studies. Here, we studied different binding interactions between salicylic acid and bovine serum albumin (BSA) using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Salicylic acid was labeled with a stable radical (spin label) in order to monitor its mobilized (free) or immobilized (bound to BSA) states. In addition to spin labeled salicylic acid (SL-salicylic acid), its derivatives including SL-benzoic acid, SL-phenol, SL-benzene, SL-cyclohexane and SL-hexane were synthesized to reveal the effects of various drug binding interactions. EPR results of these SL-molecules showed that hydrophobic interaction is the main driving force. Whereas each of the two functional groups (-COOH and -OH) on the benzene ring has a minute but detectable effect on the drug-protein complex formation. In order to investigate the effect of electrostatic interaction on drug binding, cationic BSA (cBSA) was synthesized, altering the negative net charge of BSA to positive. The salicylic acid loading capacity of cBSA is significantly higher compared to that of BSA, indicating the importance of electrostatic interaction in drug binding. Moreover, the competitive binding properties of salicylic acid, ibuprofen and aspirin to BSA were studied. The combined EPR results of SL-salicylic acid/ibuprofen and SL-ibuprofen/salicylic acid showed that ibuprofen is able to replace up to ∼83% of bound SL-salicylic acid, and salicylic acid can replace only ∼14% of the bound SL-ibuprofen. This indicates that ∼97% of all salicylic acid and ibuprofen binding sites are shared. On the other hand, aspirin replaces only ∼23% of bound SL-salicylic acid, and salicylic acid replaces ∼50% of bound SL-aspirin, indicating that ∼73% of all salicylic acid and aspirin binding sites are shared. These results show that EPR spectroscopy in combination with the spin labeling technique is a very powerful method to investigate drug binding dynamics in detail.

Influences of surface coating of PLGA nanoparticles on immune activation of macrophages

Uptake of BSA-coated PLGA NPs induces a stronger inflammatory response which is represented by the up-expression of TNF-α.

Association of iminium and alkanolamine forms of the benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloid chelerythrine with human serum albumin: photophysical, thermodynamic and theoretical approach

Association of isoforms of chelerythrine (CHL) with HSA.

Evaluation of the binding of perfluorinated compound to pepsin: Spectroscopic analysis and molecular docking

In this paper, we investigated the binding mode of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) to pepsin using spectroscopies and molecular docking methods. Fluorescence quenching study indicated that their different ability to bind with pepsin. Meanwhile, time-resolved fluorescence measurements established that PFOA and PFNA quenched the fluorescence intensity of pepsin through the mechanism of static quenching. The thermodynamic parameters showed that hydrophobic forces were the main interactions. Furthermore, UV-vis, FTIR, three-dimensional fluorescence and molecular docking result indicated that PFCs impact the conformation of pepsin and PFOA was more toxic than PFNA. The conformational transformation of PFOA/PFNA-pepsin was confirmed through the quantitative analysis of the CD spectra. The present studies offer the theory evidence to analyze environmental safety and biosecurity of PFCs on proteases.

Conformational modulation of the farnesoid X receptor by prenylflavonoids: Insights from hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS), fluorescence titration and molecular docking studies

We report on the molecular interactions of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR) with prenylflavonoids, an emerging class of FXR modulators. FXR is an attractive therapeutic target for mitigating metabolic syndromes (MetS) because FXR activates the inhibitory nuclear receptor, small heterodimer partner (SHP), thereby inhibiting both gluconeogenesis and de novo lipogenesis. We and others have shown that xanthohumol (XN), the principal prenylflavonoid of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus L.), is a FXR agonist based on its ability to affect lipid and glucose metabolism in vivo and to induces FXR target genes in biliary carcinoma cells and HEK293 cells. However, studies are currently lacking to rationalize the molecular mechanisms of FXR modulation by prenylflavonoids. We addressed this deficiency and report the first systematic study of FXR prenylflavonoid interactions. We combined hydrogen deuterium exchange mass spectrometry (HDX-MS) with computational studies for dissecting molecular recognition and conformational impact of prenylflavonoid interactions on the ligand binding domain (LBD) of human FXR. Four prenylflavonoids were tested: xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone, two prenylated flavonones, namely isoxanthohumol (IX) and 8-prenylnaringenin (8PN), and a semisynthetic prenylflavonoid derivative, tetrahydroxanthohumol (TX). Enhancement of the HDX protection profile data by in silico predicted models of FXR prenylflavonoid complexes resulted in mapping of the prenylflavonoid interactions within the canonical ligand binding pocket. Our findings provide a foundation for the exploration of the chemical scaffolds of prenylated chalcones and flavanones as leads for future structure activity studies of this important nuclear receptor with potential relevance for ameliorating lipid metabolic disorders associated with obesity and MetS.

Site specific modification of the human plasma proteome by methylglyoxal

Increasing evidence identifies dicarbonyl stress from reactive glucose metabolites, such as methylglyoxal (MG), as a major pathogenic link between hyperglycemia and complications of diabetes. MG covalently modifies arginine residues, yet the site specificity of this modification has not been thoroughly investigated. Sites of MG adduction in the plasma proteome were identified using LC-MS/MS analysis in vitro following incubation of plasma proteins with MG. Treatment of plasma proteins with MG yielded 14 putative MG hotspots from five plasma proteins (albumin [nine hotspots], serotransferrin, haptoglobin [2 hotspots], hemopexin, and Ig lambda-2 chain C regions). The search results revealed two versions of MG-arginine modification, dihydroxyimidazolidine (R+72) and hydroimidazolone (R+54) adducts. One of the sites identified was R257 in human serum albumin, which is a critical residue located in drug binding site I. This site was validated as a target for MG modification by a fluorescent probe displacement assay, which revealed significant drug dissociation at 300 μM MG from a prodan-HSA complex (75 μM). Moreover, twelve human plasma samples (six male, six female, with two type 2 diabetic subjects from both genders) were analyzed using multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) tandem mass spectrometry and revealed the presence of the MG-modified albumin R257 peptide. These data provide insights into the nature of the site-specificity of MG modification of arginine, which may be useful for therapeutic treatments that aim to prevent MG-mediated adverse responses in patients.

Exploration of binding of C.I. Food Red 9 with pepsin by optical spectroscopic and molecular docking methods

A comprehensive study of the effects of C.I. Food Red 9 on the conformation and activity of pepsin was performed using multi-spectral methods and molecular docking technique. Fluorescence and circular dichroism spectral analyzes showed that C.I. Food Red 9 binding induced the changes of secondary and tertiary structure of pepsin. The activity experimental results indicated that the activity of pepsin decreased remarkably with the increasing concentration of C.I. Food Red 9. Multi non-covalent interactions including hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic, and electrostatic forces played important roles in the complex formation between C.I. Food Red 9 and pepsin. The binding constants of pepsin with C.I. Food Red 9 were (1.21±0.036)×10(4) L mol(-1) (298 K) and (1.05±0.043)×10(4) L mol(-1) (310 K). Moreover, the putative binding site of C.I. Food Red 9 on pepsin was near to activity pocket. This study demonstrates that C.I. Food Red 9 could cause some negative effects on pepsin.

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.

Study of the interaction between DNP and DIDS with human hemoglobin as binary and ternary systems: spectroscopic and molecular modeling investigation

The combination of several drugs is necessary, especially during long-term therapy. A competitive binding of the drugs can cause a decrease in the amount of drugs actually bound to the protein and increase the biologically active fraction of the drug. Here, the interaction between 4,4'-Diisothiocyano-2,2'-stilbenedisulfonic acid (DIDS) and 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP) with Hemoglobin (Hb) was investigated by different spectroscopic and molecular modeling techniques. Fluorescence analysis was used to estimate the effect of the DIDS and DNP on Hb as well as to define the binding properties of binary and ternary complexes. The distance r between donor and acceptor was obtained by the FRET and found to be 2.25 and 2.13 nm for DIDS and DNP in binary and 2.08 and 2.07 nm for (Hb-DNP) DIDS and (Hb-DIDS) DNP complexes in ternary systems, respectively. Time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed static quenching for Hb in the presence of DIDS and DNP in both systems. Furthermore, an increase in ellipticity values of Hb upon interaction with DIDS and DNP showed secondary structural changes of protein that determine to disrupt of hydrogen bonds and electrostatic interactions. Our results showed that the Hb destabilize in the presence of DIDS and DNP. Molecular modeling of the possible binding sites of DIDS and DNP in binary and ternary systems in Hb confirmed the experimental results.

Spectroscopic analysis on structure-affinity relationship in the interactions of different oleanane-type triterpenoids with bovine serum albumin

Oleanane-type triterpenoids serve as an important group of plant secondary metabolites with a variety of biological activities and the C-3 position substitution pattern is a significant structural feature for their biological activities. Three selected oleanane-type triterpenoids (glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, and carbenoxolone) bearing different substituents (glucuronic acid dimer, hydroxyl, and succinyl groups) at the C-3 position were studied for their affinities to bind bovine serum albumin (BSA) by steady-state fluorescence, synchronous, three-dimensional fluorescence and ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) absorption spectra. The binding mechanism of the triterpenoids to BSA is due to the formation of the triterpenoids-BSA complex and the binding affinity is strongest for carbenoxolone and ranked in the order carbenoxolone > glycyrrhetinic acid > glycyrrhizin. The thermodynamic parameters calculated at different temperatures showed that triterpenoids binding to BSA primarily depended on hydrophobic interaction and hydrogen bonding. The distance between the bound triterpenoid and BSA was determined on the basis of the Förster's energy transfer theory. Displacement experiments using phenylbutazone and ibuprofen showed the binding site of triterpenoids on BSA at subdomain IIA (Sudlow's site I). The effect of triterpenoids on BSA conformation was analyzed by UV-vis absorption, and synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra. These results revealed that the C-3 position substitution pattern significantly affects the structure-affinity relationships of oleanane-type triterpenoid binding to BSA and further affects the bioavailability of triterpenoids in the blood circulatory system.

Spectroscopic and molecular modeling studies of the interaction between morin and polyamidoamine dendrimer

Interactions between the polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer and drug molecules are of interest for their potential biomedical applications. The goal of this work is to examine the interaction of PAMAM-C12 25% dendrimer with morin. The ultraviolet-visible, fluorescence spectroscopic methods as well as molecular modeling were used to analyze drug-binding mode, binding constants and binding sites, etc. The experimental data showed that the binding constant of morin-PAMAM-C12 25% is about 10(5) L/mol. The interaction of morin with PAMAM-C12 25% is mainly driven by the hydrophobic, electrostatic, hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. There are mainly three classes of binding site of morin at the interface of PAMAM-C12 25%. These results provided some useful information for self-assembling and disassembling the PAMAM dendrimer as well as efficient drug delivery and therapeutic applications.

Spectrophotometric study of the interaction between chlorotetracycline and bovine serum albumin using Eosin Y as site marker with the aid of chemometrics

Interaction of chlorotetracycline (CTC) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated under simulated physiological conditions by spectroscopy with the aid of multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). Eosin Y was selected as an alternative site I marker on the BSA to study the above molecular interaction. The binding of Eosin Y and CTC to BSA showed that CTC was displaced from CTC-BSA complex by Eosin Y, and Eosin Y-BSA complex was formed. However, the recorded fluorescence spectra of Eosin Y and Eosin Y-BSA overlapped and MCR-ALS was applied to resolve the two-way fluorescence spectra. From the resolved equilibrium concentration profiles, it was observed that Eosin Y competed with CTC in the binding process with BSA; it was also shown that the binding site of CTC on BSA was site I, and this was further confirmed by the fluorescence polarization method. Compared with some common site I markers for BSA, the fluorescence and UV-vis spectral shapes of the Eosin Y-BSA complex were quite different from that of Eosin Y, and this feature facilitated the investigation of the small molecule-BSA interaction.

Investigation of the interactions of lysozyme and trypsin with biphenol A using spectroscopic methods

The interaction between bisphenol A (BPA) and lysozyme (or trypsin) was investigated by UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence, and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra techniques under physiological pH 7.40. BPA effectively quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of lysozyme and trypsin via static quenching. H-bonds and van der Waals interactions played a major role in stabilizing the BPA-proteinase complex. The distance r between donor and acceptor was obtained to be 1.65 and 2.26 nm for BPA-lysozyme and BPA-trypsin complexes, respectively. The effect of BPA on the conformation of lysozyme and trypsin was analyzed using synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra.

Spectrometric studies on the interaction of fluoroquinolones and bovine serum albumin

The interaction between fluoroquinolones (FQs), ofloxacin and enrofloxacin, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. It was demonstrated that the fluorescence quenching of BSA by FQ is a result of the formation of the FQ-BSA complex stabilized, in the main, by hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant, K(SV), and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters, DeltaH, DeltaS and DeltaG, were estimated. The distance, r, between the donor, BSA, and the acceptor, FQ, was estimated from fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET). The effect of FQ on the conformation of BSA was analyzed with the aid of UV-vis absorbance spectra and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Spectral analysis showed that the two FQs affected the conformation of the BSA but in a different manner. Thus, with ofloxacin, the polarity around the tryptophan residues decreased and the hydrophobicity increased, while for enrofloxacin, the opposite effect was observed.

Spectroscopic study on interaction of bovine serum albumin with sodium magnesium chlorophyllin and its sonodynamic damage under ultrasonic irradiation

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is an attractive antitumor treatment for recent years. In this paper, sodium magnesium chlorophyllin (SMC) as a sonosensitizer combining with ultrasonic (US) irradiation to damage bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated by fluorescence and UV-vis spectroscopy. The interaction of BSA with SMC was studied by the quenching of intrinsic fluorescence at varying temperature. The quenching constants (K(SV)), effective binding constants (K(A)), apparent association constants (K(a)) and binding site numbers were determined. The results indicated the quenching mechanism is a static procedure. Thermodynamic parameters show that the interactions involve hydrogen bonds, hydrophobic interactions, electrostatic interactions and complexations. The binding distance is 3.533 nm. The synergistic effect of SMC and ultrasound was estimated including the study of damage conditions. Synchronous fluorescence spectra indicate the damage to Trp residues is more serious. This paper may offer some valuable references for using spectroscopy method to study the application of chlorophyll derivatives in antitumor treatment.

Studies on the interaction between benzidine and hemocyanin from Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir japonica sinensis (Decapoda, Grapsidae)

The interaction of benzidine (BZ) with hemocyanin (Hc) from Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir japonica sinensis) was studied by fluorescence spectrum. BZ can quench the fluorescence of Hc by forming a new complex. The process of binding BZ on Hc was a spontaneous molecular interaction procedure. The thermodynamic parameters, the enthalpy change and entropy change were estimated to be 47.36 kJ mol(-1), 248.51 J mol(-1) K(-1) according to the van' Hoff equation. This indicates that hydrophobic interaction played a major role in stabilizing the complex. The results of synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra indicated that the structure of these tyrosine residues environments was altered by BZ, which could enter into the hydrophobic pocked of Hc.

A study of the interaction between malachite green and lysozyme by steady-state fluorescence

The interaction of a N-methylated diaminotriphenylmethane dye, malachite green, with lysozyme was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopic techniques under physiological conditions. The binding parameters have been evaluated by fluorescence quenching methods. The results revealed that malachite green caused the fluorescence quenching of lysozyme through a static quenching procedure. The thermodynamic parameters like DeltaH and DeltaS were calculated to be -15.33 kJ mol(-1) and 19.47 J mol(-1) K(-1) according to van't Hoff equation, respectively, which proves main interaction between malachite green and lysozyme is hydrophobic forces and hydrogen bond contact. The distance r between donor (lysozyme) and acceptor (malachite green) was obtained to be 3.82 nm according to Frster's theory. The results of synchronous fluorescence, UV/vis and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra showed that binding of malachite green with lysozyme can induce conformational changes in lysozyme. In addition, the effects of common ions on the constants of lysozyme-malachite green complex were also discussed.

Spectrometric and voltammetric studies of the interaction between quercetin and bovine serum albumin using warfarin as site marker with the aid of chemometrics

The interaction of quercetin, which is a bioflavonoid, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated under pseudo-physiological conditions by the application of UV-vis spectrometry, spectrofluorimetry and cyclic voltammetry (CV). These studies indicated a cooperative interaction between the quercetin-BSA complex and warfarin, which produced a ternary complex, quercetin-BSA-warfarin. It was found that both quercetin and warfarin were located in site I. However, the spectra of these three components overlapped and the chemometrics method - multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) was applied to resolve the spectra. The resolved spectra of quercetin-BSA and warfarin agreed well with their measured spectra, and importantly, the spectrum of the quercetin-BSA-warfarin complex was extracted. These results allowed the rationalization of the behaviour of the overlapping spectra. At lower concentrations ([warfarin]<1x10(-5) mol L(-1)), most of the site marker reacted with the quercetin-BSA, but free warfarin was present at higher concentrations. Interestingly, the ratio between quercetin-BSA and warfarin was found to be 1:2, suggesting a quercetin-BSA-(warfarin)(2) complex, and the estimated equilibrium constant was 1.4x10(11)M(-2). The results suggest that at low concentrations, warfarin binds at the high-affinity sites (HAS), while low-affinity binding sites (LAS) are occupied at higher concentrations.

Mechanism of interaction of Pb(II) with milk proteins: a case study of alpha-casein

Alpha-casein is the major casein protein fraction from bovine milk and is responsible for binding to many ligands. This paper reports the results on the interaction of Pb(II) with alpha-casein. The interaction studies by spectroscopic titration indicate that Pb(II) has two binding sites with an association constant (ka) of (2.3 +/- 0.2) x 10 (5) M(-1). Raman spectra of the alpha-casein-Pb(II) complex show reduction in the amide I region as well as minor perturbations in the sulfhydryl region of alpha-casein. Stopped-flow studies show that the reaction mechanism of Pb(II) follows a pseudo-first-order reaction with a rate of 25 +/- 6 s(-1). The stopped-flow time-resolved spectra show peaks at 330 and 360 nm, correlating to Pb(II)-thiolate bands in the UV absorption spectra. Modification of cysteines present in alpha-casein does not result in binding of lead, indicating that cysteines could be one of the Pb(II) binding sites.

Determination of drug–serum protein interactions via fluorescence polarization measurements

New fast methods for the determination of pharmacokinetic behaviour of potential drug candidates are receiving increasing interest. We present a new homogeneous method for the determination of drug binding and drug competition for human serum albumin and alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein that is amenable to high-throughput-screening. It is based on selective fluorescent probes and the measurement of fluorescence polarization. This leads to decreased interference with fluorescent drugs as compared with previously published methods based on similar probes and the measurement of fluorescence intensity. The binding of highly fluorescent drugs that still interfere with the probes can be measured by simply titrating the drugs in a two-component system with the serum protein. The assay may also be used to discover strongly binding protein ligands that are interesting for drug-targeting strategies. Additionally, binding data could be obtained from larger libraries of compounds for in silico predictive pharmacokinetics. Figure Fluorescence polarization displacement titration of dansylsarcosine (3D-structure as insert) bound to human serum albumin (HSA) by naproxene.

Recognition of various biomolecules by the environment-sensitive spectral responses of hypocrellin B

In this work, the spectral responses of hypocrellin B (HB) to the microenvironments of various biomolecules were studied, with human serum albumin (HSA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) used as the models for proteins, sodium alginate (SOA) and hyaluronan (HYA) for polysaccharides and liposomes for lipid membranes. Generally, compared to those in aqueous solution, the absorbance and fluorescence of HB were all strengthened in the model systems except for the fluorescence in HYA. Specially, according to the spectral responses of HB, the microenvironments in biomolecules and liposomes could be set in a sequence of hydrophobic grades, i.e., liposomes > proteins > polysaccharides. Further, R(F/A), a parameter defined as the ratio of the fluorescence intensity to the absorbance, was proposed to identify the microenvironment quantitatively. It was found that the R(F/A) could not only distinguish various types of biomolecules but also identify specific binding from nonspecific binding to proteins or polysaccharides.

Interaction of rhein with human serum albumin investigation by optical spectroscopic technique and modeling studies

The binding of rhein with human serum albumin (HSA) has been studied in detail by spectroscopic method including circular dichroism (CD), Fourier transformation infrared spectra (FT-IR), fluorescence spectra. The binding parameters for the reaction have been calculated according to Scatchard equation at different temperatures. The plots indicated that the binding of HSA to rhein at 303, 310 and 318 K is characterized by one binding site with the affinity constant K at (4.93+/-0.16)x10(5), (4.02+/-0.16)x10(5) and (2.69+/-0.16)x10(5) M-1, respectively. The secondary structure compositions of free HSA and its rhein complexes were estimated by the FT-IR spectra. FT-IR and curve-fitted results of amide I band are in good agreement with the analyses of CD spectra. Molecular Modeling method was used to calculate the interaction modes between the drug and HSA.

Spectrofluorimetric studies on the binding of salicylic acid to bovine serum albumin using warfarin and ibuprofen as site markers with the aid of parallel factor analysis

The interactions of salicylic acid (SL) and two different site markers (warfarin for site I and ibuprofen for site II) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in pH 7.4 Tris-HCl buffer have been investigated with the use of spectrofluorimetry. An equilibrium solution of BSA and SA was titrated separately with the two markers. This initial work showed that the binding of SL with BSA could be quite complex, and that there was probably a competitive interaction occurring between ibuprofen and SL. However, the spectral results were difficult to interpret clearly for the interaction of warfarin and SL in similar circumstances. To extract more information from the resolution of fluorescence excitation-emission spectra, the contour plots of the fluorescence spectra indicated that the optimal excitation wavelengths for BSA, SL, warfarin and ibuprofen were different, and were found to be at 278, 295, 306 and 218 nm, respectively. The spectral information was arranged into three-way excitation-emission fluorescence matrix (EEM) stack arrays, and was submitted for analysis by the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) algorithm. Firstly, it was demonstrated that the estimated excitation and emission spectral responses for SL, BSA and the site markers, warfarin and ibuprofen, agreed well with the measured spectra. Then, the interpretation of the plots of simultaneously extracted (by PARAFAC) equilibrium concentrations for the above four reactants, showed that: (i) the SL primarily appears to bind in site I but at a different location from the high-affinity binding site (HAS) for warfarin, and the interaction partially overlaps with the low-affinity binding site (LAS) for warfarin. (ii) The SL may have two LAS-one in site II where the HAS for ibuprofen is located, and the other in site I at the LAS for ibuprofen. Thus, application of the PARAFAC method for the study of competitive interaction of SL and BSA with the aid of two different site markers has extracted information unobtainable by traditional methods such as the Scatchard plot, and provided useful means of data visualization.

Interactions of hypocrellin B with hyaluronan and photo-induced interactions

In the current work, the molecular recognition and interaction were studied by taking advantages of the environmentally sensitive fluorescence of hypocrellin B (HB) and the structural knowledge of hyaluronan (HYA), a polysaccharide over-expressed in tumor cells or tissues. Interestingly, it was found that, binding to HYA, the absorbance of HB would be greatly strengthened, suggesting HB fitting to a hydrophobic environment in HYA, while the fluorescence seriously quenched at pH 7.0, which was very distinct from the binding of HB to proteins, liposome, other polysaccharide molecules or HYA at pH 2.0. Synchronously, the particle size of HYA would become bigger after interaction with HB, suggesting an aggregation of HYA. Considering the spectral responses of HB and the particle size change of HYA, a specific interaction of HB with HYA was proposed, that is, an HB molecule would link two HYA molecules not only by hydrophobic interaction but also by formations of intermolecular hydrogen bonds at physiological pH values. Furthermore, the estimated binding constant suggests a quite high affinity of HB to HYA. Besides, an oxygen-dependent degradation of HYA and photobleaching of HB were observed via photosensitization of HB.

The binding of novel two-color fluorescence probe FA to serum albumins of different species

The novel two-color ratiometric fluorescence probe FA belonging to a class of 3-hydroxychromone dyes was applied for characterization of binding sites in serum albumins obtained from seven species (bovine, dog, horse, human, pig, rabbit and sheep). On strong and highly specific FA binding to the same location in protein structure, the species-dependent differences were observed in positions of absorption maxima, positions of two fluorescence emission bands and the intensity ratios between them. They were analyzed by multiparametric algorithm that allowed a detailed characterization of probe-binding sites and were characterized by very low polarity, high electronic polarizability and different extent of intermolecular hydrogen bonding. The species-dependent differences were also observed in time-resolved fluorescence emission decays. Fluorescence competition experiments with the drug warfarin, suggested the location of FA binding site within or in proximity to Domain IIA.

Novel two-color fluorescence probe with extreme specificity to bovine serum albumin

We report on strong, highly specific and stochiometric binding to bovine serum albumin of novel fluorescence probe FA, 2-(6-diethylaminobenzo[b]furan-2-yl)-3-hydroxychromone, that exhibits a very characteristic two-band fluorescence spectrum. Both absorption band and two fluorescence bands of FA are very sensitive to non-covalent interactions in the immediate environment of the probe. Multiparametric analysis of this spectroscopic information allows us to conclude that the binding site is characterized by very low polarity, high extent of screening from aqueous environment and unusually high electronic polarizability. The latter suggests the proximal location of probe FA to the aromatic amino acid residues in the binding site. The new probe can be proposed for the study of interaction of ligands and drugs of different nature with serum albumins.