Ultrasonic spectroscopy in bovine serum albumin solutions

Ultrasonic absorption and velocity spectra in bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solutions have been measured at 20 degrees C over the broad frequency range 0.1-1600 MHz in the pH range 1.5-13.2. Five different techniques were used: the plano-concave resonator, plano-plano resonator, pulse-echo overlap, Bragg reflection, and high-resolution Bragg reflection methods. The absorption spectrum at neutral pH was well fitted to the relaxation curve assuming a distribution of relaxation frequency with a high-frequency cutoff and long low-frequency tail. The relaxation behavior was interpreted in terms of various degrees of hydration of BSA molecules. At acid pH's, excess absorption over that at pH 7 was explained by double relaxation. The pH dependences of the relaxation frequency and maximum absorption per wavelength showed that the relaxation at about 200 kHz was related to the expansion of molecules and that at 2 MHz resulted from the proton transfer reaction of carboxyl group. At alkaline pH's, the excess absorption was explained by triple relaxation. The relaxation at about 200 kHz was associated with a helix-coil transition, and the two relaxations at 2 and 15 MHz were attributed to the proton transfer reactions of phenolic and amino groups, respectively. The rate constants and volume changes associated with these processes were estimated.     

Structural and functional changes in ultrasonicated bovine serum albumin solutions

Effects of high-intensity ultrasonication on functional and structural properties of aqueous bovine serum albumin (BSA) solutions were investigated. The functional properties of BSA were altered by ultrasonication. Surface activity of BSA increased. Minimal changes were observed in the global structure of BSA but surface charge increased particularly at basic pH values (e.g. pH>9). While dynamic light scattering measurements indicated that the particle size increased up to 3.4 times after 90 min of sonication, no significant increase in the oligomeric state of BSA using blue native PAGE was observed. The amount of free sulfhydryl groups in BSA after 90 min of sonication decreased. The increased particle size and decreased number of free sylfhydryl groups may be attributed to formation of protein aggregates. Surface hydrophobicity increased and circular dichroism spectroscopy and FTIR analysis indicated changes in the secondary structure of BSA. We hypothesize that mechanical, thermal and chemical effects of ultrasonication resulted in structural changes in BSA that altered the functional properties of the macromolecule which may be attributed to the formation of an ultrasonically induced state that differs from a thermally, mechanically or solvent induced state.     

Fluorescent analysis of interaction of flavonols with hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin

We have studied the fluorescent properties of flavonols (quercetin, fisetin, morin, rutin) with the aim of studying possible interaction with hemoglobin and bovine serum albumin (BSA). We observed an increase in the intensity of intrinsic fluorescence for all the flavonols except rutin in the presence of BSA. From the changes in the fluorescence spectra, we concluded that tautomeric forms are formed on interaction with hemoglobin. We determined the interconnection between the structure of related flavonols and their fluorescent properties on interaction with proteins, and we determined the binding constants for binding with BSA and hemoglobin. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 74, No. 5, pp. 659–664, September–October, 2007.     

1H NMR study of water relaxation and self-diffusion in human serum albumin aqueous solutions

Summary Water proton spin-lattice relaxation and self-diffusion in aqueous solutions of human serum albumin have been studied by¹H NMR as a function of the protein concentration. Spin-lattice relaxation data, which display a nonlinear behaviour with the protein concentration, could be fitted with a two-phase model taking into account the experimentally determined hydration (?bound?) water values. Despite a similar trend is registered for the water self-diffusion coefficient, such a model has been found unable to explain the related experimental data taken as a function of the biomolecule concentration. On the other hand, the solute-induced proton self-diffusion decrease could be satisfactorily interpreted by postulating an enhanced probability of hydrogen-bond formation occurring within the ?vicinal? water surrounding the biomolecules for several hydration shells. The consistency within the two models is discussed in connection with the magnetic interactions occurring within the solute-solvent systems.     

The effect of lead cations on the fluorescence characteristics of bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution

The effect of lead (heavy metal) cations on the fluorescence characteristics and photophysical parameters (fluorescence intensity and anisotropy, absorption cross section, excited state lifetime, and rates of singlet-triplet conversion and reversible photobleaching) of tryptophan in an aqueous solution of bovine serum albumin (two-tryptophan protein) is studied and compared with the effect in the aqueous solution of tryptophan. It is demonstrated that the effect of lead on the fluorescence characteristics of the protein is manifested at a molar concentration ratio of metal cations and protein macromolecules of greater than 10 and related to the dynamic quenching of the excited state, protein aggregation, and an increase in the rate of singlet-triplet conversion (the effect of a heavy atom) in tryptophan molecules.     

Ultrasonic absorption of bovine serum albumin solutions in the frequency range 60 to 160 kHz

The ultrasonic absorption of the globular protein bovine serum albumin in aqueous solution has been measured in the frequency range 60 to 160 kHz using a 2-1 spherical resonator. The effect of pH change and of the denaturants urea, guanidine hydrochloride, and sodium dodecyl sulfate on the absorption loss has been studied. It is concluded that a significant ultrasonic absorption process exists which is related to structural helix-coil transition equilibria. For native protein the maximum loss appears to occur at a frequency at least as low as 70 kHz for a pH of about 4.2. This loss process is distinct from those arising from proton-transfer equilibria perturbations which are manifest at pH 3.2 and 11.6 and at peak frequencies of 400 kHz and above.     

Interaction between varenicline tartrate and bovine serum albumin

This paper mainly investigated the interaction between varenicline tartrate and bovine serum albumin. The Stern–Volmer quenching constant and bimolecular quenching rate constant were determined; furthermore, the fluorescence quenching mechanism between varenicline tartrate and bovine serum albumin was clarified. The binding constants and the number of binding sites were deduced from the double logarithm regression curve. Thermodynamic parameters were calculated, which indicated that the binding process was spontaneous and the acting force were mainly hydrophobic forces. The binding distance was calculated to be 4.80 nm, which means that there was nonradiative energy transfer from varenicline tartrate to bovine serum albumin during the process. And the bovine serum albumin conformation affected by varenicline tartrate was analyzed through ultraviolet–visible and synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.     

Polarized fluorescence in investigation of rotational diffusion of the fluorescein family markers in bovine serum albumin solutions

The analysis of polarized fluorescence of the fluorescein family markers was conducted and parameters of their rotational diffusion in bovine serum albumin solutions (BSA) were determined. The degree of fluorescence anisotropy of the markers increases in the BSA solutions, as well as the time of rotational relaxation of the markers, while the rotational-diffusion coefficient of the markers decreases. The differences in the rotational-diffusion parameters between the markers are determined by the values of the electronegativity of the atoms in their structural formulas: the increase of the electronegativity of the atoms in the structural formulas of the markers results in the increase of the degree of fluorescence anisotropy, a decrease of the rotational-diffusion coefficient, and in the increase of the rotational-relaxation time both in the solutions without the protein and with BSA.     

Molecular association processes and fluorescent characteristics of nanomarkers of the fluorescein family in solutions of bovine serum albumin

An analysis of the molecular association and fluorescent characteristics of nanomarkers of the fluorescein family, viz., fluorescein, erythrosine, eosine, and Rose Bengal, in BSA solutions was conducted. For all the markers a decreasing degree of molecular association was observed in the BSA solutions as compared with the solutions without protein. In the solutions with BSA, fluorescence quenching and red shifting of the fluorescence spectrum maximum occurred for the solutions with BAS compared with solutions without protein for the markers of the fluorescein family. The dependences of the degree of molecular association on pH differed for fluorescein and its halogen derivatives. The efficiency dependences of nanomarker binding with BSA on pH differed for fluorescein and its halogen derivatives.     

Interaction of gold nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin

The interaction between gold nanoparticles and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in aqueous solutions was studied. The formation of nanoparticle—BSA associates was demonstrated, which is expressed in a bathochromic shift of the surface plasmon resonance band by 5–6 nm in the absorption spectrum. The results were approximated using the Drude model for metal spheres. The thickness of the dielectric (protein) shell of the nanoparticle and its permittivity (refractive index) were calculated.     

Toxic effects of anticancer drug doxorubicin to bovine serum albumin evaluated by spectroscopic methods

The aim of this present work is to investigate the interaction between doxorubicin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) in simulated physiological conditions by spectroscopic methods to reveal potential toxic effects of the drug. The results reflected that doxorubicin made the fluorescence quenching of BSA through a static quenching procedure. The binding constants at 293, 298, and 303 K were obtained as 2.53 × 10⁵, 8.13 × 10⁴, and 3.59 × 10⁴ M^–1, respectively. There may be one binding site of doxorubicin on BSA. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the interaction between doxorubicin and BSA was driven mainly by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces. Synchronous fluorescence spectra and circular dichroism (CD) results showed doxorubicin binding slightly changed the conformation of BSA with secondary structural content changes. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) study revealed high possibility of energy transfer with doxorubicin-Trp-212 distance of 3.48 nm. The results of the present study may provide valuable information for studying the distribution, toxicological and pharmacological mechanisms of doxorubicin in vivo.     

Spectroscopic studies on the interaction of bovine serum albumin with ginkgolic acid: Binding characteristics and structural analysis

The interaction between ginkgolic acid (GA, C15:0) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is investigated by several spectroscopic methodologies. At first, the binding characteristics of GA and BSA are determined by fluorescence emission spectra. It is showed that GA quenches the fluorescence of BSA and the static quenching constant K_LB is 11.7891×10⁴ L mol^?1 s^?1 at 297 K. GA and BSA form a 1:1 complex with a binding constant of 9.12×10⁵ L mol^?1. GA binds to the Sudlow's drug binding site II in BSA, and the binding distance between them is calculated as 1.63 nm based on the Förster theory. The thermodynamic parameters indicate that the interaction between BSA and GA is driven mainly by hydrophobic forces. On the other hand, structural analysis indicates that GA binding results in an increased hydrophobicity around the tryptophan residues of BSA as revealed by the synchronous fluorescence spectra, and a decrease in α-helix as revealed by the far-UV CD spectra. In addition, ANS, UV–vis and RLS experiments confirmed that GA binding causes a certain structural changes in BSA. These findings provide the binding information between BSA and GA, and may be helpful for pharmacokinetics and the design of dosage forms of GA.     

Pressure-induced structural changes of alanine oligopeptides in aqueous solutions

ABSTRACT

Short alanine (Ala) oligopeptides in aqueous solution adopt polyproline II [PPII; (φ, ψ)?=?(?60°, 150°)] and extended β conformations [(φ, ψ)?=?(?150°, 150°)], whose conformers are related to the denatured state of proteins. In this study, we investigated pressure-induced conformational changes of penta- and hexa-alanines (Ala₅ and Ala₆, respectively) in aqueous solutions using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. A remarkable observation was that two peaks at 1620 and 1690 cm^?1 in Ala₆ assigned to the intermolecular β-sheets were generated with increasing pressure. These peaks were not observed in Ala₅. Our analyses of absorbance changes and frequency shifts further suggested that pressure was responsible for the PPII?→?β conformational change of Ala₅, and the PPII?→?intermolecular β-sheet structure of Ala₆, respectively. These results indicated a differing conformational stability of Ala₅ under high pressure as compared with Ala₆.     

Interactions between imazethapyr and bovine serum albumin: Spectrofluorimetric study

The interaction between imazethapyr (IMA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence spectroscopy. The Stern–Volmer quenching constant (K_SV) at three temperatures was evaluated in order to determine the quenching mechanism. The dependence of fluorescence quenching on viscosity was also evaluated for this purpose. The results showed that IMA quenches the fluorescence intensity of BSA through a static quenching process. The values of the binding constant for the formed BSA–IMA complex and the number of binding sites were found to be 1.51×10⁵ M^?1 and 0.77, respectively, at room temperature. Based on the calculated thermodynamic parameters, the forces that dominate the binding process are hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces, and the binding process is spontaneous and exothermic. The quenching of protein fluorescence by iodide ion was used to probe the accessibility of tryptophan residues in BSA and the change in accessibility induced by the presence of IMA. According to the obtained results, the BSA–IMA complex is formed in the site where the Trp-134 is located, causing it to become less exposed to the solvent.     

Investigation of the interaction between trazodone hydrochloride and bovine serum albumin

In this paper, the binding of trazodone hydrochloride (TZH) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by spectroscopic (fluorescence, spectrophotometry and circular dichroism) techniques under simulative physiological conditions. A strong fluorescence quenching reaction of TZH to BSA was observed and the quenching mechanism was suggested as dynamic quenching according to the Stern-Volmer equation. The binding constants of TZH with BSA at 288, 302 and 309 K were calculated as (1.56±0.003)×10⁴, (2.31±0.002)×10⁴ and (5.44±0.004)×10⁴ M⁻¹, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH⁰ and ΔS⁰ were obtained to be 39.86±0.008 kJ mol⁻¹ and 217.89±0.011 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, which indicated the presence of hydrophobic forces between TZH and BSA. The spectral results observed showed that the binding of TZH to BSA induced conformational changes in BSA. Based on the Förster's theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding average distance, r between donor (BSA) and acceptor (TZH) was found to be 2.4 nm. The effect of common ions on binding of TZH to BSA was also examined.     

Investigation of interactions between dendrimer-coated magnetite nanoparticles and bovine serum albumin

We investigated the interactions between dendrimer-coated magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) and the protein serum albumin. The investigation was based on the fluorescence quenching of tryptophan residue of serum albumin after binding with the dendrimer-coated magnetite nanoparticles. The extent of the interactions between bovine serum albumin and dendrimer-coated MNPs strongly depends on their surface groups and pH value.     

Biomimetic synthesis of HgS nanoparticles in the bovine serum albumin solution

HgS nanocrystals conjugated with protein were synthesized in aqueous solution of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) at room temperature. The obtained HgS nanoparticles with average diameter about 20–40 nm were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The quantum-confined effect of the HgS nanoparticles is confirmed by the ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and photoluminescence (PL) spectrum. The rescults indicate that the BSA not only induce the nucleation, but inhibit the further growth of HgS nanoparticles. The effect of Hg²⁺ on BSA and the change of BSA conformation were studied through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The possible mechanism of HgS nanoparticles growth in the BSA solution was also discussed.