Characterization of 6‐propylthiouracil and its interaction with human serum albumin on Au surface by surface‐enhanced Raman scattering

In this study, surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of 6‐propylthiouracil (6‐PTU) on Au surface and the interaction between 6‐PTU and human serum albumin (HSA) were studied. The Raman bands were assigned by the density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6‐311++g(d,p) level. Furthermore, the effects of concentration on the SERS spectra of 6‐PTU were analyzed. It shows that with the changes of the concentrations of 6‐PTU, the SERS spectra of 6‐PTU present significant changes, and it can be concluded that with the changing of concentrations, the orientation of 6‐PTU on Au surface also changes. In addition, the SERS spectra of the interaction between 6‐PTU and HSA show that the binding sites of 6‐PTU to HSA are the functional groups N3H and CO. The information will not only be references to the study of the mechanism of the interaction between drugs and blood plasma or serum albumin but also a guidance to understand the metabolism of drugs in human body. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.