Quercetin Influence on Thermal Denaturation of Bovine Serum Albumin

The effect of quercetin (QUER) binding on bovine serum albumin (BSA) thermal denaturation was systematically investigated by means of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Additional information concerning thermodynamic and structural binding parameters was provided by isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and molecular docking. The most relevant effect of QUER is manifested in the modification of the two-step thermal fingerprint of protein denaturation. Higher QUER concentrations result in a single-step denaturation thermogram, ascribed to the interplay between specific and nonspecific binding and enhancement of the solvent unfolding action. Analysis of ITC data indicate sequential binding of two molecules of QUER occurring spontaneously at different binding sites of BSA involving hydrophobic, electrostatic and hydrogen binding forces. Identification of QUER binding sites was possible through corroboration of DSC runs in the presence of site markers and molecular docking. Modeling of ligand–protein interaction confirmed the experimental data. On one hand, a neutral form of QUER binds in a nonplanar conformation to Sudlow’s site I, a large hydrophobic cavity of subdomain IIA of BSA and decreases its thermal stability. On the other hand, a second molecule of QUER, the anionic form, is bound in planar conformation to Sudlow’s site II, situated in the subdomain IIIA of the folded protein, and increases the thermal stability of the corresponding structural domain of the protein

The Immobilization of Laccase on Mixed Polymeric Microspheres for Methyl Red Decomposition

Means of eliminating water pollutants or transforming them into less hazardous compounds by green catalysis are desired. The current work was developed with the goal of discovering supports suited for laccase (Lc) immobilization. The effect of the chitosan (CS) molecular weight (Mw) or the polyacrylic acid (PAA) addition was evaluated in microsphere formulation and enzyme immobilization by ESEM, rheology, operational stability, and kinetics. As a practical application, the synthesized products were tested in the methyl red (MR) decomposition and the product identification was performed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Depending on the required properties, the laccase activity profile (pH, temperature, storage, and Michaelis–Menten parameters) and rheological strength can be modulated by varying the molecular mass of CS or by adding PAA in the support formulation. The immobilized products having the best features regarding MR degradation and recycling abilities were the medium Mw CS microspheres and the system with low Mw CS complexed by PAA, respectively. The degradation mechanism of the dye was proposed accordingly with the identified products by mass spectroscopy. The findings emphasize the potential of the proposed immobilization products to be exploited as viable biocatalysts for dye-contaminated water

Interaction between Albumin and Pluronic F127 Block Copolymer Revealed by Global and Local Physicochemical Profiling

The interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with amphiphilic block copolymer Pluronic F127 has been investigated by several physical methods. Interest in studying this system stems from a broad range of bioactivities involving both macromolecules. Serum albumins constitute a significant class of proteins in the circulatory system, acting as carriers for a wide spectrum of compounds or assemblies. Pluronic block copolymers have revealed their capacity to ferry a variety of biologically active compounds. Circular dichroism, rheological measurements, and differential scanning microcalorimetry (μDSC) were employed to get insight into the interaction betweeen the two macromolecules. The results reveal that Pluronic F127 induces conformational changes to albumin if it is organized in a micellar form, while albumin influences the self-assembly of Pluronic F127 into micelles or gels. F127 micelles, however, induce smaller conformational changes compared to ionic surfactants. The μDSC thermograms obtained for HSA and/or F127 show that HSA shifts the critical micellar temperature (cmt) to lower values, while concurrently the HSA denaturation behavior is influenced by F127, depending on its concentration. Rheological measurements on solutions of F127 17% have shown that a sol-to-gel transition occurs at higher temperatures in the presence of HSA and the resulting gel is weaker. The global profile on HSA/F127 systems was complemented by local information provided by EPR measurements. A series of X-band EPR experiments was performed with spin probes 4-(<i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′-dimethyl-<i>N</i>-hexadecyl)­ammonium-2,2′,6,6′-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl iodide (CAT16) and 5-doxyl stearic acid (5-DSA). These spin probes bind to albumin sites and are sensitive to phase transformations in Pluronic block copolymer solutions. For a given F127 concentration, the spin probe binds only to HSA below cmt and migrates to the F127 micelles above cmt. The collective data suggest soft interactions between the macromolecules, with the emerging results projecting potential applications linked to reaching optimal conditions for certain drug formulations

Model Systems for Evidencing the Mediator Role of Riboflavin in the UVA Cross-Linking Treatment of Keratoconus

Riboflavin under UVA radiation generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can induce various changes in biological systems. Under controlled conditions, these processes can be used in some treatments for ocular or dermal diseases. For instance, corneal cross-linking (CXL) treatment of keratoconus involves UVA irradiation combined with riboflavin aiming to induce the formation of new collagen fibrils in cornea. To reduce the damaging effect of ROS formed in the presence of riboflavin and UVA, the CXL treatment is performed with the addition of polysaccharides (dextran). Hyaluronic acid is a polysaccharide that can be found in the aqueous layer of the tear film. In many cases, keratoconus patients also present dry eye syndrome that can be reduced by the application of topical solutions containing hyaluronic acid. This study presents physico-chemical evidence on the effect of riboflavin on collagen fibril formation revealed by the following methods: differential scanning microcalorimetry, rheology, and STEM images. The collagen used was extracted from calf skin that contains type I collagen similar to that found in the eye. Spin trapping experiments on collagen/hyaluronic acid/riboflavin solutions evidenced the formation of ROS species by electron paramagnetic resonance measurements

Thermodynamic parameters at bio-nano interface and nanomaterial toxicity: A case study on BSA interaction with ZnO, SiO2 and TiO2

Understanding nanomaterial (NM)–protein interactions is a key issue in defining the bioreactivity of NMs with great impact for nanosafety. In the present work, the complex phenomena occurring at the bio/nano interface were evaluated in a simple case study focusing on NM–protein binding thermodynamics and protein stability for three representative metal oxide NMs, namely, zinc oxide (ZnO; NM-110), titanium dioxide (TiO2; NM-101), and silica (SiO2; NM-203). The thermodynamic signature associated with the NM interaction with an abundant protein occurring in most cell culture media, bovine serum albumin (BSA), has been investigated by isothermal titration and differential scanning calorimetry. Circular dichroism spectroscopy offers additional information concerning adsorption-induced protein conformational changes. The BSA adsorption onto NMs is enthalpy-controlled, with the enthalpic character (favorable interaction) decreasing as follows: ZnO (NM-110) > SiO2 (NM-203) > TiO2 (NM-101). The binding of BSA is spontaneous, as revealed by the negative free energy, ΔG, for all systems. The structural stability of the protein decreased as follows: TiO2 (NM-101) > SiO2 (NM-203) > ZnO (NM-110). As protein binding may alter NM reactivity and thus the toxicity, we furthermore assessed its putative influence on DNA damage, as well as on the expression of target genes for cell death (RIPK1, FAS) and oxidative stress (SOD1, SOD2, CAT, GSTK1) in the A549 human alveolar basal epithelial cell line. The enthalpic component of the BSA–NM interaction, corroborated with BSA structural stability, matched the ranking for the biological alterations, i.e., DNA strand breaks, oxidized DNA lesions, cell-death, and antioxidant gene expression in A549 cells. The relative and total content of BSA in the protein corona was determined using mass-spectrometry-based proteomics. For the present case study, the thermodynamic parameters at bio/nano interface emerge as key descriptors for the dominant contributions determining the adsorption processes and NMs toxicological effect

Towards FAIR nanosafety data

International audienceThe proposal of a FAIR-aligned Nanosafety Data Interface can advance findability, accessibility and interoperability across physicochemical, bio-nano interaction, human toxicity, omics, ecotoxicological and exposure data. Nanotechnology is a key enabling technology with billions of euros in global investment from public funding, which include large collaborative projects that have investigated environmental and health safety aspects of nanomaterials, but the reuse of accumulated data is clearly lagging behind. Here we summarize challenges and provide recommendations for the efficient reuse of nanosafety data, in line with the recently established FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) guiding principles. We describe the FAIR-aligned Nanosafety Data Interface, with an aggregated findability, accessibility and interoperability across physicochemical, bio-nano interaction, human toxicity, omics, ecotoxicological and exposure data. Overall, we illustrate a much-needed path towards standards for the optimized use of existing data, which avoids duplication of efforts, and provides a multitude of options to promote safe and sustainable nanotechnology