Circular dichroism of ketoprofen complexed to serum albumins: conformational selection by the protein: a novel optical purity determination technique.

Complexation of 2-(3'-benzoylphenyl)propionic acid (ketoprofen), 1, to bovine serum albumin (BSA) results in an intense negative circular dichroism in the ketonic n-->pi* band of the benzoylphenyl moiety. This high CD contrasts with the weak CD of 1-enantiomers dissolved in common solvents. Furthermore, a number of chiral and achiral molecules containing the benzophenone moiety are easily complexed to BSA: all these complexes show an intense CD at the same transition. To account for the observed CD intensities of the above molecules, it appears that BSA complexation markedly shifts the equilibrium between strongly asymmetric, antipodic conformers. Dissymmetry of these conformers is connected to the instability of a structure with phenyl rings coplanar to the carbonyl chromophore, as also indicated by molecular mechanics calculations. The magnification of the Cotton effects of the 1-antipodes, due to the protein, can be used to measure the optical purity of 1-samples with excellent precision. In contrast with BSA, human SA is unable to recognize the chirality of 1-antipodes; oleic acid cocomplexation modifies this fact as well as other features of the binding.