Charge-transfer interaction of some pyridinium salts with hen egg-white lysozyme

The charge-transfer interaction of pyridinium salts with lysozyme and L-tryptophan has been investigated by visible absorption, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. Four quaternized and substituted pyridinium salts were used as electron acceptors. L-tryptophan was used as a model compound of electron donor for the purpose of the comparison with lysozyme. The binding constants obtained from absorption and circular dichroism spectra were 2.0–13 M^–1 and the sequence of the magnitude was found as EPCl(1-ethylpyridinium chloride) < MPCl(1-methylpyridinium chloride) < MNCl(1-methylnicotinamide chloride) < MNMCl(1-methyl-3-carbomethoxypyridinium chloride), which could be explained by the electron affinity of the pyridinium salt. The fluorescence spectra of lysozyme and L-tryptophan in the absence and presence of pyridinium salts were interpreted by Stern-Volmer plot. The static constants thus determined were in agreement with the binding constants obtained by other methods.