Study of caffeine binding to human serum albumin using optical spectroscopic methods

The binding of caffeine to human serum albumin (HSA) under physiological conditions has been studied by the methods of fluorescence, UV-vis absorbance and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The mechanism of quenching of HSA fluorescence by caffeine was shown to involve a dynamic quenching procedure. The number of binding sites n and apparent binding constant K _b were measured by the fluorescence quenching method and the thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔG, ΔS were calculated. The results indicate that the binding is mainly enthalpy-driven, with van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding playing major roles in the reaction. The distance r between donor (HSA) and acceptor (caffeine) was obtained according to the Förster theory of non-radiative energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence, CD and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the microenvironment and conformation of HSA were altered during the reaction.     

Spectroscopic and Molecular Docking Approaches for Investigation of Interaction of Phellopterin with Human Serum Albumin

The mechanism of interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and natural product phellopterin (PL) from Angelica dahurica was investigated by spectroscopic techniques with molecular docking under simulated physiological conditions. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence of HSA was regularly quenched by PL, and the quenching constants (K_SV) decreased with increasing temperature, which indicated that the quenching mechanism was a static quenching procedure. The binding constants (K_A) were larger than 10^?5 M^?1 and the number of binding sites (n) was approximate to 1 at different temperatures, which indicated that the binding affinity was hige and there was just one main binding site in HSA for PL. According to thermodynamic parameters from Van't Hoff equation, the binding process of PL with HSA was spontaneous and exothermic process due to ΔG < 0, and the electrostatic force played major role in the binding between PL and HSA according to ΔH < 0 and ΔS > 0. The binding distance (r) was calculated to be about 3.35 nm, which implied that the energy transfer from HSA to PL occurred with high possibility according to the theory of Förster's non-radiation energy transfer. The microenvironment and conformation of HSA changed with the addition of PL based on the results of synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence methods. The molecular docking analysis revealed the binding locus of PL to HSA in subdomain IIIA (Sudlow's site II).     

Computational and experimental study on the interaction of three novel rare earth complexes containing 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline with human serum albumin

In this paper, several rare earth [terbium(III), ytterbium(III) and yttrium(III)] complexes containing 2,9-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Me₂Phen) were successfully synthesized and characterized by means of elemental analysis (CHN), infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), UV–vis absorption spectroscopy and ¹HNMR. To explore the potential medicinal value of these complexes (MMe₂Phen), their binding interactions with human serum albumin (HSA) were investigated through UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopies and also molecular docking examinations. The thermodynamic parameters, binding forces and Förster resonance distance between these complexes and Trp-214 of HSA were estimated from the analysis of fluorescence measurements. The values of estimated binding constants (K_b) ranging for the formation of MMe₂Phen:HSA complex were in the order of 10⁵ M^?1. The thermodynamic parameters determined by van’t Hoff analysis of K_b (ΔH°?<?0 and ΔS°?<?0) clearly indicate the major rules of hydrogen bonds and van der Waals interactions in the formation process of MMe₂Phen:HSA. The values of Stern–Volmer constant and the evaluation of dynamic quenching constant at various temperatures provided good evidences for static quenching mechanism. Furthermore, the results of molecular docking calculation and competitive binding experiments represent the binding of these complexes to site 3 of HSA located in subdomain IB, containing both polar and apolar residues. The consistency of computational and experimental results, according to the binding sites and the order of binding affinities (TbMe₂Phen?>?YbMe₂Phen?>?YMe₂Phen), supports the accuracy of docking calculation.     

Study on Interactions of Phenolic Acid-Like Drug Candidates with Bovine Serum Albumin by Capillary Electrophoresis and Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The interactions of the phenolic acids cinnamic acid (CNA), ferulic acid (FA), caffeic acid (CA) and chlorogenic acid (CLA) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were investigated and compared using affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) and the fluorescence quenching methods. ACE gives binding constants (K _b) and thermodynamic parameters. The thermodynamic parameters show that each of four phenolic acids bind to BSA mainly by hydrogen bonds, electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The fluorescence quenching method provided quenching constant K _sv, binding site number n and K _b. The fluorescence results indicate that BSA fluorescence quenching is mainly a static quenching process. The binding constants (K _b) of CNA, FA, CA and CLA were from 2.52×10⁴ to 7.90×10⁴ L⋅mol⁻¹ from ACE experiments and 1.19×10⁴ to 5.21×10⁴ L⋅mol⁻¹ from fluorescence, their increase corresponded to the increase in the number of hydroxyl groups. These results imply that molecular structure and the number of hydroxyl groups of phenolic acids play act key roles in the affinity of natural phenolic acids towards BSA.     

Interaction Between Plumbagin and Human Serum Albumin by Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The interaction of plumbagin (PLU) with human serum albumin (HSA) in physiological buffer (pH=7.4) was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy. Results obtained from analysis of the fluorescence spectra indicated that PLU has a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA through a static quenching procedure. Fluorescence quenching data revealed that the quenching constants (K) are 4.43×10⁴, 3.26×10⁴ and 1.69×10⁴ L?mol^?1 at 293, 303 and 313 K, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated to be ?36.63 kJ?mol^?1, and ?35.702 J?mol^?1?K^?1 respectively, which suggested that van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonds play a major role in the interaction of PLU with HSA. The distance between donor (HSA) and acceptor (PLU) was calculated to be 3.76 nm based on Förster’s non-radiative energy transfer theory. The results of synchronous fluorescence spectra showed that binding of PLU to HSA can induce conformational changes in HSA.     

Studies on the interaction between imidacloprid and human serum albumin: Spectroscopic approach

The interaction between imidacloprid (IMI) and human serum albumin (HSA) was investigated using fluorescence and UV/vis absorption spectroscopy. The experimental results showed that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by IMI was a result of the formation of IMI–HSA complex; static quenching was confirmed to result in the fluorescence quenching. The apparent binding constant K_A between IMI and HSA at three differences were obtained to be 1.51 × 10⁴, 1.58 × 10⁴, and 2.19 × 10⁴ L mol^?1, respectively. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH° and ΔS° were estimated to be 28.44 kJ mol^?1, 174.76 J mol^?1 K^?1 according to the van’t Hoff equation. Hydrophobic interactions played a major role in stabilizing the complex. The distance r between donor (HSA) and acceptor (IMI) was obtained according to fluorescence resonance energy transfer. The effect of IMI on the conformation of HSA was analyzed using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy CD and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra, the environment around Trp and Tyr residues were altered.     

Lysine modification of human serum albumin and its effect on protein conformation and nalidixic acid binding

In order to investigate the involvement of lysine residues of human serum albumin (HSA) in nalidixic acid (NA) binding, various modified preparations of HSA such as 44% carbamylated (C₄₄), 83% carbamylated (C₈₃) and 85% acetylated (A₈₅) were made by treating the HSA solution with a different molar excess of potassium cyanate and acetic anhydride. The extent of modification, charge homogeneity and conformational changes of these derivatives were checked by TNBSA reaction method, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and gel filtration using Sephacryl S-200 HR column, respectively. Binding of NA to HSA and its derivatives was examined using fluorescence quenching titration method to determine the binding constant. The emergence of a single band in PAGE and single symmetrical peak in gel filtration results confirmed the charge and size homogeneity of these derivatives. Hydrodynamic properties such as Stokes radius and frictional ratio, as obtained from the analytical gel filtration results suggested molecular expansion in C₈₃ and A₈₅ HSAs while C₄₄ HSA retained the native conformation. Addition of NA to both native and modified HSA derivatives quenched the fluorescence intensity of the protein at 344 ​nm to a different extent. Whereas the values of the Stern-Volmer constant (K_SV) and bimolecular quenching rate constant (k_q) suggested, NA-HSA complex formation, binding constant (K_a) value suggested an intermediate binding affinity between NA and HSA. Furthermore, the decrease in the K_a value with the extent of modification was indicative of the involvement of lysine residues in NA-HSA interaction.     

Identification of pyrazosulfuron-ethyl binding affinity and binding site subdomain IIA in human serum albumin by spectroscopic methods

Pyrazosulfuron-ethyl (PY) is a sulfonylurea herbicide developed by DuPont which has been widely used for weed control in cereals. The determination of PY binding affinity and binding site in human serum albumin (HSA) by spectroscopic methods is the subject of this work. From the fluorescence emission, circular dichroism and three-dimensional fluorescence results, the interaction of PY with HSA caused secondary structure changes in the protein. Fluorescence data demonstrated that the quenching of HSA fluorescence by PY was the result of the formation of HSA–PY complex at 1:1 molar ratio, a static mechanism was confirmed to lead to the fluorescence quenching. Hydrophobic probe 8-anilino-1-naphthalenesulfonic acid (ANS) displacement results show that hydrophobic patches are the major sites for PY binding on HSA. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated to be ?36.32 kJ mol^?1 and ?35.91 J mol^?1 K^?1, which illustrated van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds interactions were the dominant intermolecular force in stabilizing the complex. Also, site marker competitive experiments showed that the binding of PY to HSA took place primarily in subdomain IIA (Sudlow's site I). What presented in this paper binding research enriches our knowledge of the interaction between sulfonylurea herbicides and the physiologically important protein HSA.     

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, ΔH, ΔS and ΔG, 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.     

Investigation of ketoprofen binding to human serum albumin by spectral methods

The binding of ketoprofen with human serum albumin (HSA) was studied by fluorescence and absorption spectroscopic methods. Quenching of fluorescence of HSA was found to be a static quenching process. At 288.15, 298.15, 308.15 and 318.15 K, the binding constants and binding sites were obtained. The effects of Cu²⁺, Al³⁺, Ca²⁺, Pb²⁺ and K⁺ on the binding at 288.15 K were also studied. The thermodynamic parameters, ΔH, ΔG and ΔS were got and the main sort of acting force between ketoprofen and HSA was studied. Based on the Förster's theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding average distance, r, between the acceptor (ketoprofen) and the donor (HSA) was calculated.     

Characterization of Interactions Between Fluoroquinolones and Human Serum Albumin by CE–Frontal Analysis

The binding of fluoroquinolones to the transport protein, human serum albumin (HSA), under simulated physiological conditions has been studied by capillary electrophoresis–frontal analysis (CE–FA). The binding of these drugs to human plasma was evaluated by using ultrafiltration and capillary electrophoresis. The free drug concentration [D]_f at each HSA concentration was determined by the plateau height in the electropherograms and the calibration lines. The binding constants of fluoroquinolones and HSA were estimated using nonlinear regression with origin 7.5 software. The fluoroquinolones were found to show low affinity toward HSA, with binding constants ranging from 1.73 × 10² to 5.40 × 10² M^?1. The percentages of protein binding (PB) for fluoroquinolones to HSA were between 8.6 and 22.2%, while the PB percentages for fluoroquinolones to human plasma were between 10.2 and 33.1%. It can be found that the PB percentages for fluoroquinolones to HSA are mostly lower than those for fluoroquinolones to human plasma. It suggests that HSA is the primary protein responsible for the binding of fluoroquinolones in human plasma. The thermodynamic parameters were obtained by CE–FA. The positive ?H and ?S values obtained by CE–FA showed that the binding reaction was an endothermic process, and the entropy drive the binding and hydrophobic interaction played major roles in the binding of fluoroquinolones to HSA.     

Thermodynamic and conformational investigation of the influence of CdTe QDs size on the toxic interaction with BSA

Water-soluble fluorescent colloidal quantum dots (QDs) have been widely used in some biological and biomedical fields, so the interaction of QDs with biomolecules recently attracts increasing attention. In this study, the fluorescence (FL) quenching method, circular dichroism (CD) technique, attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) and UV-vis absorption spectra were used to investigate systematically the influence of CdTe QDs size on the toxic interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA). Three size CdTe QDs with maximum emission of 543 nm (green-emitting QDs, GQDs), 579 nm (yellow-emitting QDs, YQDs) and 647 nm (red-emitting QDs, RQDs) were tested. The Stern-Volmer quenching constant (K_sv) at different temperatures, corresponding thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔG and ΔS), and information of the structural features of BSA were gained. The FL results indicated that QDs can effectively quench the FL of BSA in a size-dependent manner, electrostatic interactions play a major role in the binding reaction, and the nature of quenching is static, resulting in forming QDs-BSA complexes. The CD and ATR-FTIR spectra showed that the secondary structure of BSA was changed by QDs, indicating the toxic on protein.     

Chromatographic Framework to Determine the Memantine Binding Mechanism on Human Serum Albumin Surface

In this work, the interaction of memantine with human serum albumin (HSA) immobilized on porous silica particles was studied using a biochromatographic approach. The determination of the enthalpy change at different pH values suggested that the protonated group in the memantine–HSA complex exhibits a heat protonation with a magnitude around 65 kJ mol^?1. This value agrees with the protonation of a guanidinium group, and confirmed that an arginine group may become protonated in the memantine–HSA complex formation. The thermodynamic data showed that memantine–HSA binding, for low temperature (<293 K), is dominated by a positive entropy change. This result suggests that dehydration at the binding interface and charge–charge interactions contribute to the memantine–HSA complex formation. Above 293 K, the thermodynamic data ΔH and ΔS became negative due to van der Waals interactions and hydrogen bonding which are engaged at the complex interface. The temperature dependence of the free energy of binding is weak because of the enthalpy–entropy compensation caused by a large heat capacity change, ΔC _p = ? 3.79 kJ mol^?1 K^?1 at pH = 7. These results were used to determine the potential binding site of this drug on HSA.     

Interaction between Glyoxal-bis-(2-hydroxyanil) and Bovine Serum Albumin in Solution

The interaction between glyoxal-bis-(2-hydroxyanil) (GBH) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by spectroscopic methods including fluorescence spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) and UV–visible absorption spectra. The mechanism for quenching the fluorescence of BSA by GBH is discussed. The number of binding sites n and observed binding constant K _b were measured by the fluorescence quenching method. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH ^θ , ΔG ^θ , and ΔS ^θ were calculated at different temperatures and the results indicate that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces played major roles in the reaction. The distance r between the donor (BSA) and acceptor (GBH) molecules was obtained according to Förster’s theory of non-radiation energy transfer. Synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra were used to investigate the structural change of BSA molecules that occur upon addition of GBH, and these results indicate that the secondary structure of BSA molecules is changed by the presence of GBH.     

18β-Glycyrrhetinic acid interaction with bovine serum albumin

The interaction of 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid (GA): The metabolite of glycyrrhizic acid which is the main active component of a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) Glycyrrhiza Uralensis Fisch with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated. Fluorescence emission spectra of serum albumin in the presence of GA, recorded at the excitation wavelength 280 nm, clearly show that GA act as quencher and have different quenching mechanism at a pH below or above the isoelectric point (pI). The binding sites number n and apparent binding constant K were measured. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH°, ΔG°, ΔS° at different temperatures were calculated. The effects of some common metal ions on binding are considered. Synchronous fluorescence and UV–vis spectra were used to study protein conformation. Energy transfer between GA and HSA was calculated by Förster's theory and the binding site was suggested to be site II. The binding of monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (GL) to BSA is also compared.     

Crystal structure and interaction with bovine serum albumin of the Cu(I/II) complex [C20H32Cu2I3N4] n

[C₂₀H₃₂Cu₂I₃N₄] _n was synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, ESI-MS spectrometry, and IR spectra. The crystal structure was determined by X-ray single-crystal diffraction. The binding of the complex with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy under simulated physiological conditions. The binding constant (K _b), the number of binding sites (n), and the corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔH, ΔS, ΔG were calculated based on the van’t Hoff equation. The complex had strong ability to quench the fluorescence from BSA, and the quenching mechanism of this complex to BSA was static quenching. Hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces are the interactions between the Cu(I/II) complex and BSA. According to the Förster non-radiation energy transfer theory, the binding average distance between the donor (BSA) and the acceptor (Cu(I/II) complex) was obtained. The effect of the complex on the BSA conformation was also studied by using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy.     

A mononuclear nickel(II) complex based on polypyridyl ligand: synthesis,characterization, and biological activity

[Ni(acac)₂(o-NPIP)](CH₃OH)₃ (acac = acetylacetonate), based on the polypyridyl ligand 2-(2-nitrophenyl)imidazo[4,5-f]1,10-phenanthroline) (o-NPIP), has been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal analysis, IR and electronic spectra. In the structure of Ni(II) complex, the coordination sphere around Ni(II) is distorted octahedral with one o-NPIP and two acetylacetonates. DNA binding and human serum albumin (HSA) interactions with the Ni(II) complex have been investigated by electronic absorption and fluorescence measurements, revealing that the Ni(II) complex binds with DNA via intercalative binding. The quenching constants verified a dynamic quenching mechanism between HSA and the Ni complex by fluorescence quenching. ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS at different temperatures (288, 298, and 310 K) indicated that hydrophobic interactions play a major role. Synchronous fluorescence spectral experiments revealed that the Ni(II) complex affected the microenvironment around the tryptophan residue of HSA.     

Studies of Interaction between Ergosta‐4,6,8(14),22‐tetraen‐3‐one (Ergone) and Human Serum Albumin by Molecular Spectroscopy and Modeling

Our previous experimental results have shown that ergosta‐4,6,8(14),22‐tetraen‐3‐one (ergone) is one of the main bioactive components of Polyporus umbellatus. The efficacy of ergone binding to human serum albumin (HSA) is critical for pharmacokinetic behavior of ergone. The interactions between ergone and HSA under simulative physiological conditions were investigated by the methods of fluorescence spectroscopy, absorption and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Fluorescence data revealed that the fluorescence quenching of HSA by ergone was the result of the formation of the ergone‐HSA complex. According to the modified Stern‐Volmer equation, the binding constants (K_a) between ergone and HSA were determined. The thermodynamic parameters, enthalpy change (ΔH) and entropy change (ΔS) for the reaction were calculated to be 0.989 kJ mol^‐1 and 11.214 J mol^‐1 K^‐1, indicating that the hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions played a dominant role in the binding of ergone to HSA. The conformational investigation showed that the presence of ergone decreased the α‐helical content of HSA and induced the slight unfolding of the polypeptides of protein. Furthermore, displacement experiments using warfarin and ibuprofen indicated that ergone could bind to site I of HSA, which was also in agreement with the results of the molecular modeling.     

Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction Between Troxerutin and Bovine Hemoglobin

The interaction of bovine hemoglobin (BHb) with troxerutin was investigated by UV–Vis absorption spectra and fluorescence spectra methods, circular dichroism spectra, and the freeze-fractured TEM methods. Results showed that troxerutin causes the fluorescence quenching of BHb through a static quenching mechanism. The binding constant K _A and number of binding sites n of troxerutin with BHb were obtained. Positive values of the thermodynamic parameters enthalpy change and entropy change indicate that the interaction between troxerutin and BHb is driven mainly by electrostatic interactions. This shows that the binding is spontaneous at the standard state since the change in the standard Gibbs energy value is negative. The average binding distance between the donor (BHb) and the acceptor (troxerutin) was assessed from the Förster theory. The present study suggests that the thermal stability of BHb is enhanced upon binding with troxerutin.     

Interactions of Gold Nanoparticles and Lysozyme by Fluorescence Quenching Method

The fluorescence quenching technique was applied to study the interactions between lysozyme and Gold nanoparticles (GNPs). GNPs were synthesized by microwave assisted heating under reflux, using trisodium citrate as the reducing agent. The UV-visible spectra and TEM image were used to characterize the GNPs. The GNPs had a maximum absorption peak at 520 nm, with an average diameter of 13.3 nm. The fluorescence quenching mechanism was studied by Stern-Volmer equation. It was proved that the fluorescence quenching of lysozyme by GNPs was mainly a result of the formation of a lysozyme-GNP complex. Experimental results indicated that the combination reactions of GNPs and lysozyme were static quenching processes. It can be expected that the fluorescence quenching technique could provide a promising tool to study the interactions of GNPs and proteins. The binding constants, the number of binding sites at different temperatures and corresponding thermodynamic parameters ΔG, ΔH, and ΔS were also calculated.