ABSTRACT
In this work we studied the structure of the bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the protein-ligand interactions since researchers prefer to use them as carriers in drug delivery systems. Systematic study (between pH 2-12, in double distilled water and physiological salt solution) was carried out to determine the changes in the secondary and the tertiary structures of the BSA, the apparent molecular weight (Mw), the size (dLS) and the electrokinetic potential (ζ). At pH 7, the BSA has higher stability in the absence (ζ=-69mV, dLS=2.2nm, A2=1.4×10(-3)mlmol/g(2)) than in the presence of salt solution (ζ=-2.4mV, dLS=5.3nm, A2=-3.2×10(-4)mlmol/g(2)). The Mw strongly depends on the pH and the ionic strength (at pH 3 in the absence of salt, the Mw is 54.6kDa while in the presence of salt is 114kDa) which determines the geometry of the protein. The protein-ligand interactions were characterized by fluorescence (FL) and isothermal microcalorimetry (ITC) methods; these independent techniques provided similar thermodynamic parameters such as the binding constant (K) and the Gibbs free energy (ΔG).
Subject(s)
Serum Albumin, Bovine/chemistry , Sodium Chloride/chemistry , Water/chemistry , Anilino Naphthalenesulfonates/chemistry , Animals , Cattle , Hydrogen-Ion Concentration , Ketoprofen/chemistry , Ligands , Molecular Weight , Osmolar Concentration , Protein Folding , Protein Stability , Protein Structure, Secondary , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Protein Unfolding , Static Electricity , ThermodynamicsABSTRACT
The main purpose of this study was to facilitate the delivery of kynurenic acid (KYNA) across the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by applying micelles as nanoscale containers. Non-ionic amphiphilic molecules were used for preparation of spherical micelles for delivery of kynurenic acid in aqueous solution in physiological condition. It was established that Triton X 100 and Lutensol AP 20 non-ionic surfactants are able to produce stable nanocontainers for delivery of kynurenic acid molecules. The incorporation of KYNA molecules was investigated by dynamic light scattering and the size of micelles were calculated between 5 and 10 nm in 150 mM NaCl and pH 7.5-7.6 solutions. Encapsulated kynurenic acid showed a significantly higher blood-brain barrier permeability compared with non-encapsulated kynurenic acid. The in vivo experiments showed that the encapsulated kynurenic acid is able to display effects within the central nervous system, even after its peripheral administration.
