Effect of biological confinement on the photophysics and dynamics of a proton-transfer phototautomer: an exploration of excitation and emission wavelength-dependent photophysics of the protein-bound drug

The present work demonstrates the effect of biological confinement on the photophysics and dynamics of a bio-active drug molecule viz., 5-chlorosalicylic acid (5ClSA). 5ClSA is a potential candidate exhibiting Excited-State Intramolecular Proton Transfer (ESIPT) reaction and thereby generating the phototautomer (i.e. proton transferred keto form) in the excited state. Given the pK(a) of 5ClSA (around 2.64), the anionic form of the drug molecule is expected to be the interacting species with the protein under the experimental conditions (buffered solution of pH 7.40). The ESIPT photophysics of the drug (5ClSA anion) is found to be remarkably modified within the confined bio-environment of a model transport protein Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) in terms of remarkable emission intensity enhancement coupled with a discernible red-shift of the emission maximum wavelength. Such considerable modification of the ESIPT photophysics of the 5ClSA anion has been exploited to determine the drug-protein binding strength (as characterized by the binding constant K (±10%) = 6.11 × 10(2) M(-1)). The present work also delves into evaluation of the probable binding location of the drug within the biomacromolecular assembly of the protein by a blind docking simulation technique, which reveals hydrophobic subdomain IIA to be the probable binding site of the drug. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy delineates the effect of drug binding on the protein secondary structure in terms of decrease of α-helical content of BSA with increasing drug concentration. Apart from this, the excitation-emission matrix fluorescence technique is found to hint at the effect on protein tertiary structure upon binding to the drug. Chaotrope-induced protein denaturation has been explored to complement the findings on the binding interaction process. The modulated dynamics of the proton transfer phototautomer of the 5ClSA anion within the biological confinement is also investigated in this context to explore the slower rate of solvent-relaxation dynamics.     

Interaction of aspirin and vitamin C with bovine serum albumin

Vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) has a major biological role as a natural antioxidant. Aspirin belongs to the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and functions as an antioxidant via its ability to scavenge-OH radicals. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) is the major soluble protein constituent of the circulatory system and has many physiological functions including transport of a variety of compounds. In this report, the competitive binding of vitamin C and aspirin to bovine serum albumin has been studied using constant protein concentration and various drug concentrations at pH 7.2. FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopic methods were used to analyze vitamin C and aspirin binding modes, the binding constants and the effects of drug complexation on BSA stability and conformation. Spectroscopic evidence showed that vitamin C and aspirin bind BSA via hydrophilic interactions (polypeptide and amine polar groups) with overall binding constants of K(vitamin C-BSA)=1.57×10(4)M(-1) and K(aspirin-BSA)=1.15×10(4)M(-1); assuming that there is one drug molecule per protein. The BSA secondary structure was altered with major decrease of α-helix from 64% (free protein) to 57% (BSA-vitamin C) and 54% (BSA-aspirin) and β-sheet from 15% (free protein) to 6-7% upon drug complexation, inducing a partial protein destabilization.     

丹皮酚及其两种同分异构体与牛血清白蛋白相互作用的热力学研究

在298.15 K下利用等温滴定微量热法研究了丹皮酚(2'-羟基-4'-甲氧基苯乙酮, Pae)及其两种同分异构体(2'-羟 基-5'-甲氧基苯乙酮, Hma; 4'-羟基-3'-甲氧基苯乙酮, Ace)与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)在缓冲溶液(pH≈7.0)中的相互作用. 从药物分子在蛋白质分子上有多种类型相互独立的结合位点的假定出发, 应用Langmuir吸附模型对这三种同分异构体与 BSA 相互作用的量热数据进行了处理. 结果表明, 有两类结合位点存在, 同时计算出了两类结合模式的结合常数、焓变、熵变及吉布斯自由能变等热力学数据. 这两类结合主要以焓驱动为主, 并且在同一类结合位点上, Pae, Hma以及 Ace与BSA结合过程的焓变绝对值依次减小, 这主要是由于客体分子苯环上取代基的相对位置不同而引起热力学数据的差异. 圆二色谱研究表明这三种同分异构体的加入均使BSA的二级结构发生变化, 说明这种生物大分子-药物分子相互作用既包含结合反应也包含小分子诱导BSA分子部分结构改变的过程.     

Spectroscopic studies on the mode of interaction of an anticancer drug with bovine serum albumin

The mechanism of interaction of vinblastin sulphate (VBS) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been reported. Association constant for VBS-BSA binding was found to be 3.146+/-0.06 x 10(4) M(-1). Stern-Volmer analysis of fluorescence quenching data showed that the fraction of fluorophore (protein) accessible to the quencher (drug) was close to unity indicating thereby that both tryptophan residues of BSA are involved in drug-protein interaction. The rate constant for quenching, greater than 10(10) M(-1) S(-1), indicated that the drug-binding site is in close proximity to tryptophan residues of BSA. Binding studies in the presence of an hydrophobic probe, 8-anilino-1-naphthalein-sulphonic acid, sodium salt (ANS) indicated that there is hydrophobic interaction between VBS and probe and they do not share common sites in BSA. Thermodynamic parameters obtained from data at different temperatures showed that the binding of VBS to BSA involves predominant hydrophobic forces. The effects of some additives and paracetamol on binding of VBS-BSA have also been investigated. The CD spectrum of BSA in presence of VBS shows that the binding of VBS leads to change in the helicity of BSA.     

牛血清白蛋白与金霉素结合反应的机制研究

以光谱技术与微量热技术相结合的方法研究水溶液中金霉素与牛血清白蛋白分子间结合作用的热力学性质.荧光猝灭法测得该反应的结合常数K=2.09×105L/mol,结合位点数n=1.75,微量法测得反应的焓变△rHm= -17.50 kJ/mol; 依据Forster非辐射能量转移机制,得到授体-受体间的结合距离(r1=1.67 nm, r2=1.46 nm)和能量转移效率(E1=0.41, E2=0.66). 金霉素与牛血清白蛋白分子间有较强的结合作用, 且结合力以疏水作用为主.     

Comparison of tryptophan interactions to free and grafted BSA protein

The binding of d- and l-tryptophan molecules to bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein has been studied using liquid chromatography and ultrafiltration in the pH range from 7 to 11. A hydrophobic interaction between tryptophan and BSA has been observed at pH 7.0 on BSA grafted chromatographic column. However, this interaction is negligible at higher pH for which the interaction to the stereospecific site was predominant. For both grafted and free proteins, the complexation mechanism was a competitive binding of d- and l-enantiomers on a single site. The apparent complexation constants for both d- and l-tryptophan show a maximum in the pH range 9-10. The variations of the apparent complexation constants versus pH were the result of the protonation of both the amino acid and a single site of the protein assuming that the complexation occurs between the zwitter-ionic amino acid form and the unprotonated BSA site. The apparent pK(BSA) is slightly shifted from 8.3 for grafted BSA protein to 9.4 for free BSA protein. This shift is presumably as a result of the different protein conformation.     

Excited-state intramolecular proton transfer distinguishes microenvironments in single- and double-stranded DNA

Herein, the efficient interaction of an environment-sensitive fluorophore that undergoes excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) with DNA has been realized by conjugation of a 3-hydroxychromone (3HC) with polycationic spermine. On binding to a double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), the ratio of the two emission bands of the 3HC conjugates changes up to 16-fold, so that emission of the ESIPT product increases dramatically. This suggests an efficient screening of the 3HC fluorophore from the water molecules in the DNA complex, which is probably realized by its intercalation into dsDNA. In sharp contrast, the 3HC conjugates show only moderate changes in the dual emission on binding to a single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), indicating a much higher fluorophore exposure to water at the binding site. Thus, the 3-hydroxychromone fluorophore being conjugated to spermine discriminates the binding of this polycation to dsDNA from that to ssDNA. Consequently, ESIPT-based dyes are promising for monitoring the interaction of polycationic molecules with DNA and probing the microenvironment of their DNA binding sites.     

Binding of naproxen and amitriptyline to bovine serum albumin: biophysical aspects

Binding of the drugs naproxen (which is an anti-inflammatory) and amitriptyline (which is an anti-depressant) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been studied using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), in combination with fluorescence and circular dichroism spectroscopies. Naproxen is observed to bind more strongly to BSA than amitriptyline. The temperature-dependent ITC results indicate the interaction of one molecule of naproxen with more than one protein molecule. On the other hand, amitriptyline binds to BSA with a reaction stoichiometry that varies from 1:1.2 to 1:2.9. The van't Hoff enthalpy, which is calculated from the temperature dependence of the binding constant, agrees well with the calorimetric enthalpy in the case of naproxen binding to BSA, indicating adherence to a two-state binding process. However, their disagreement in the case of amitriptyline indicates conformational changes in the protein upon ligand binding, as well as with the rise in temperature. The spectroscopic results did not suggest appreciable conformational changes as a result of binding; hence, the discrepancy could be attributed to the temperature-induced conformational changes. With increases in the ionic strength, a reduction in the binding affinity of naproxen to BSA is observed. This suggests the prevailing electrostatic interactions in the complexation process. The preponderance of the hydrophobic interactions in the binding of amitriptyline to BSA is indicated by the absence of any dependence of the ionic strength. A predominance of electrostatic interactions in the case of naproxen binding to BSA and that of hydrophobic interactions in the case of amitriptyline binding to BSA is further strengthened by the results of the binding experiments performed in the presence of ionic and nonionic surfactants. The binding parameters indicate that Triton X-100 blocks the hydrophobic binding sites on BSA, thereby altering the binding affinity of amitriptyline toward BSA. A partial overlap of the binding sites for these drugs is indicated by the binding parameters obtained in the titration of naproxen to the amitriptyline-BSA complex and vice versa. Thus, the results provide a quantitative understanding of the binding of naproxen and amitriptyline to BSA, which is important in understanding their effect as therapeutic agents individually and in combination therapy.     

Molecular complexation of uracil with bovine serum albumin and its complex with bilirubin studied by spectroscopic methods

The interactions of uracil (U) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its complex with bilirubin (BR·BSA) in phosphate buffer at pH 7.4 were studied by fluorescence and electronic spectroscopy. The parameters of the resulting intermolecular complexes (binding constants, quenching rate constants, the radius of the quenching sphere-of-action, etc.) were determined. The interaction of BSA with U occurs through a static quenching of protein fluorescence and has a predominantly hydrophobic character. The effect of U on the conformational changes of the protein molecule was analyzed by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Uracil binds to BR·BSA more efficiently than to the free protein due to the interaction of U with the tetrapyrrole pigment incorporated in the macromolecular complex.     

Effect of protein binding on high performance liquid chromatography analysis of drugs with an internal-surface reversed-phase silica column

The effect of protein binding on the high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) elution profile of drugs injected directly onto an internal-surface reversed-phase (ISRP) silica column was investigated. When a relatively large volume (greater than or equal to 100 microliters) of the sample solution containing warfarin and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was applied directly onto the ISRP column and elution was carried out with the mobile phase containing an organic modifier, two distinct peaks, both due to warfarin, appeared separated from the protein peak. The peak splitting was not observed in the case of antipyrine-BSA mixed solution, where the protein binding is weak. It was found that the drug bound at the strong-binding site on the BSA molecule was released slowly during the process of chromatography and was eluted as the first peak with a shorter retention time, while the drug bound at the weak-binding site was released quickly, and was eluted as the second peak together with the free drug. The warfarin-BSA interaction at the strong-binding site was evaluated, under minimum influence from the other binding site, from the warfarin concentration obtained from the first peak and the free warfarin concentration determined by the ultrafiltration method.     

Spectroscopic study of the competitive interaction between streptomycin and Evans blue to bovine serum albumin

The mechanism of the competitive interaction of streptomycin and Evans blue (EB) to bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been studied by using both fluorimetry and spectrophtometry. Effects of pH, streptomycin and concentration of EB on the competitive interaction of streptomycin and EB were examined. A static fluorescence quenching process was confirmed in the light of Stern-Volmer plot. The test result showed that there were strong and weak binding sites on BSA molecule and the binding constant of EB-BSA complex and the number of binding site n were obtained. These facts revealed that the competitive interaction was occurred between EB and streptomycin, which can possibly provide useful message in investigation of the interaction of antibiotic with BSA.     

Interaction of bioactive components caffeoylquinic Acid derivatives in Chinese medicines with bovine serum albumin

Five caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (CQAs), including methyl 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinate (3,4-diCQM), methyl 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinate (3,5-diCQM), 3,4-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,4-diCQA), 3,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid (3,5-diCQA) and chlorogenic acid (CA), were isolated from Lonicera fulvotomentosa HSU et S. C. CHENG to be used as model compounds. The binding of these bioactive components to bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated by fluorescence quenching method. The results showed that there were binding affinities for CQAs with BSA, and the binding constants ranked in the following order: 3,4-diCQM>3,5-diCQM<3,4-diCQA>3,5-diCQA>CA, under the physiological conditions, which suggested that the numbers and the substituted positions of caffeoyl group as well as the esterification of carboxyl group in the molecular structures appeared to contribute moderate effects to the interaction processes. Furthermore, the Stern-Volmer curves demonstrated that CQAs caused the fluorescence quenching through a static quenching procedure. Thermodynamic analysis indicated that both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions played major roles in stabilizing the complex. The binding distance for each binding reaction was also calculated by the F?ster theory.     

Interaction of water-soluble amino acid Schiff base complexes with bovine serum albumin: fluorescence and circular dichroism studies

Fluorescence spectroscopy in combination with circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy were used to investigate the interaction of water-soluble amino acid Schiff base complexes, [Zn(L1,2)(phen)] where phen is 1,10-phenanthroline and H2L1,2 is amino acid Schiff base ligands, with bovine serum albumin (BSA) under the physiological conditions in phosphate buffer solution adjusted to pH 7.0. The quenching mechanism of fluorescence was suggested as static quenching according to the Stern-Volmer equation. Quenching constants were determined using the Stern-Volmer equation to provide a measure of the binding affinity between amino acid Schiff base complexes and BSA. The thermodynamic parameters DeltaG, DeltaH and DeltaS at different temperatures (298, 310 and 318K) were calculated. The results indicate that the hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions play a major role in [Zn(L1)(phen)]-BSA association, whereas hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions participate a main role in [Zn(L2)(phen)]-BSA binding process. Binding studies concerning the number of binding sites and apparent binding constant Kb were performed by fluorescence quenching method. The distance R between the donor (BSA) and acceptor (amino acid Schiff base complexes) has been obtained utilizing fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET). Furthermore, CD spectra were used to investigate the structural changes of the BSA molecule with the addition of amino acid Schiff base complexes. The results indicate that the interaction of amino acid Schiff base complexes with BSA leads to changes in the secondary structure of the protein. Fractional contents of the secondary structure of BSA (f(alpha), f(beta), f(turn) and f(random)) were calculated with and without amino acid Schiff base complexes utilizing circular dichroism spectroscopy. Our results clarified that amino acid Schiff base complexes could bind to BSA and be effectively transported and eliminated in the body, which could be a useful guideline for further drug design.     

Hydrophobic interactions of phenoxazine modulators with bovine serum albumin

The interaction of 10-(3′-N-morpholinopropyl)phenoxazine [MPP], 10-(4′-N-morpholinobutyl)phenoxazine [MBP], 10-(3′-N-morpholinopropyl)-2-chlorophenoxazine [MPCP], 10-(3′-N-piperidinopropyl)-2-chlorophenoxazine [PPCP] or 10-(3′-N-morpholinopropyl)-2-trifluoromethylphenoxazine [MPTP] with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been studied by gel filtration and equilibrium dialysis methods. The binding of these modulators, based on dialysis experiments, has been characterized using the following parameters: percentage of bound drug (Β), the association constant (K ₁), the apparent binding constant (k) and the free energy change (δF‡). The binding of phenoxazine derivatives to serum transporter protein, BSA, is correlated with their octanol-water partition coefficient, log₁₀ P. In addition, effect of the displacing activities of hydroxyzine and acetylsalicylic acid on the binding of phenoxazine derivatives to albumin has been studied. Results of the displacement experiments show that phenoxazine benzene rings and tertiary amines attached to the side chain of the phenoxazine moiety are bound to a hydrophobic area on the albumin molecule.     

Molecular simulation of the interaction between novel type rhodanine derivative probe and bovine serum albumin

The interaction between 3-(4′-methylphenyl)-5-(4′-methyl-2′-sulfophenylazo) rhodanine (M4MRASP) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by using spectrofluorimetry. It was shown in fluorescence spectrums that the quenching mechanism of BSA by M4MRASP was a static quenching. Meanwhile, the binding constant and binding site numbers were calculated. The action distance (r = 8.03 nm) and energy transfer efficiency (E = 0.12) between donor (BSA) and acceptor (M4MRASP) were obtained according to the theory of Förster non-radiation energy transfer. The effect of M4MRASP on the conformation of BSA was further analyzed by using synchronous fluorescence spectrometry. A new model of the interaction between small organic molecule and biomacromolecule was established. The results offered a reference for the studies on the biological effects and action mechanism of small molecule with protein.     

2-(2-Selenocyanic acid ethyl ester)-1H-benz[de] isoquinoline-1,3-(2H)-dione, synthesis photophysics and interaction with bovine serum albumin: a spectroscopic approach

The compound 2-(2-selenocyanic acid ethyl ester)-1H-benz[de] isoquinoline-1,3-(2H)-dione (SEBID), a ubiquitous, bioactive naphthalimide derivative is expected to possess an anticancer, anti-tumor and other important therapeutic activities of significant potency with low systematic toxicity. In this paper, the synthesis of the compound, photophysics of the newly prepared naphthalimide derivative and its interaction with model transport protein Bovine serum albumin (BSA) have been reported using the absorption and steady state fluorescence spectroscopic techniques exploiting the intrinsic fluorescence emission properties of BSA as a probe. Interaction of this organoselenium compound in different dioxane-water mixtures with increase in the polarity of the medium has been studied spectroscopically. Interaction of SEBID with BSA leads to a dramatic decrease in the fluorescence intensity of BSA, which suggests the binding of SEBID with the tryptophan residue of BSA. Furthermore, different thermodynamic parameters for SEBID-BSA interaction have been calculated. Rationalization of the data has been attempted, particularly in relation to prospective applications in the biomedical research.     

三种香豆素类中药小分子与牛血清白蛋白的相互作用

运用荧光光谱(FS)、紫外光谱(UV)法研究了三种香豆素中药小分子与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的相互作用.实验结果表明,香豆素类小分子能够插入BSA分子内部与BSA形成基态复合物导致BSA内源荧光猝灭,猝灭机理主要为静态猝灭和非辐射能量转移.药物分子极性及体积增大对BSA内源性荧光猝灭效应增强,与BSA中荧光性氨基酸残基之间的空间距离r增大,表观结合常数K_A增大且结合位点数n减少.结合过程的热力学参数变化表明上述相互作用过程是一个熵增加、Gibbs自由能降低的自发分子间作用过程,其中香豆素与BSA之间以疏水作用为主,而伞形花内酯、七叶内酯与BSA之间则还存在偶极-偶极作用,表明药物分子极性同样影响其与BSA间相互作用力的类型.     

氧化苦参碱与牛血清白蛋白相互作用的热力学研究

在298.15 K下, 应用等温滴定量热法和圆二色谱法研究了氧化苦参碱(OMT)与牛血清白蛋白(BSA)的相互作用, 并讨论了二者结合过程热力学性质的改变. 研究结果表明, BSA大分子上存在可结合OMT分子的两类位点. OMT分子与第一类位点相结合时, 结合过程的平衡常数、标准摩尔焓变和标准摩尔吉布斯自由能变分别为 ＝(2.14±0.31)×105, ＝(－1.07±0.50) kJ&#8226;mol－1, ＝(－30.4±0.4) kJ&#8226;mol－1, 最大可结合位点数为 N1＝(10.0±0.2), 该过程是以熵驱动为主的焓熵协同驱动过程. OMT 分子与第二类位点相结合时, ＝(6.84±0.32)×103, ＝(1.91±0.03) kJ&#8226;mol－1, ＝(－21.9±0.4) kJ&#8226;mol－1, N2＝(25.0±0.3), 该过程是熵驱动过程. 圆二色谱测试结果表明, 两类结合过程中, OMT与BSA的相互作用均导致了蛋白质二级结构构象及不同结构单元相对含量的变化.     

Interaction of brilliant red X-3B with bovine serum albumin and application to protein assay

The interaction of brilliant red X-3B (BRX) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) in three pH media has been characterized by the spectral correction technique. The binding number maximum of BRX was determined to be 102 at pH 2.03, 82 at pH 3.25 and 38 at pH 4.35 and the binding mechanism was analyzed in detail. The effects of ionic strength from 0 to 1 mol L⁻¹ and temperature from 20 to 70 °C on the binding were investigated. The results showed that the interaction of BRX with BSA responded to the Langmuir adsorption isothermal model and the binding constant was determined. From the correlation between the binding number and the number of basic amino acid residues, the ion-pair attraction induced the union of non-covalent bonds including H-bond, van der Waals force and hydrophobic bond and the binding model was illustrated. The binding of BRX to BSA has resulted in change of the BSA conformation confirmed by means of circular dichroism. Using this interaction at pH 2.03, a sensitive method named the absorbance ratio difference spectrometry was established and applied to the protein assay and the limit of detection of protein was only 6 μg L⁻¹. Two samples were determined and the results were in agreement with those obtained by the classical coomassie brilliant blue colorimetry.     

Spectroscopic studies on in vitro binding of cefixime and tolcapone drugs with serum albumin

The interaction between cefixime (antibacterial) and tolcapone (Parkinson’s disease) drugs with bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated using several spectroscopic techniques viz. UV–Vis, fluorescence and circular dichroism. The thermodynamic parameters of the interactions were calculated, which indicated that the binding processes are spontaneous and H-bonding and van der Waals forces play a major role in BSA–cefixime interaction and hydrophobic interactions dominate BSA–tolcapone complexation. Cefixime quenches the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by dynamic process while tolcapone through static process. The binding constant of the BSA–tolcapone complex (10⁷ L mol^?1) is found to be relatively higher than that of BSA–cefixime complex (10⁴ L mol^?1). The binding distance between BSA and cefixime and tolcapone is calculated to be 3.3 and 4.2 nm, respectively. Both fluorescence and circular dichrosim spectral studies confirmed conformational changes in BSA upon binding with these drugs. Molecular docking studies suggest the possible binding sites in the protein molecule.'