Biopolymer — Small Molecule Interactions. Optical Properties of the System Biliverdin‐Serum Albumin in Aqueous Medium

Abstract

AbstractCircular dichroism (CD) and light‐absorption measurements in the wavelength range 300 to 650 nm were carried out for complexes of biliverdin (∼ 2.5 × 10−5 M) with either bovine or human serum albumin (charcoal treated) in aqueous solution (25–27°C) at several protein concentrations and pH values in the range 4 to 10. In all cases investigated, two large ellipticity bands were measured near 385 nm and about 650 nm, respectively, which were of opposite sign. In addition, two smaller bands near 300 and 535 nm were resolved by computer analysis into Gaussian curves of the CD spectrum of biliverdin‐human serum albumin complexes. The main CD bands were inverted in their sign in biliverdin‐bovine serum albumin complexes when compared at pH 5 and 10. Under the conditions used, free biliverdin did not show significant optical activity. The optical activity observed for the complexes is attributed to electric transition dipole coupling of biliverdin with protein transitions and to possible formation of skewed conformations of the biliverdin chromophore upon binding, leading to inherent dissymmetry. Unlike the corresponding bilirubin complexes investigated previously, there appears to be no evidence for substantial band splitting in the small molecule occurring upon binding to the biopolymer. Thus the presence of a center methene bridge instead of an isolating methylene group, the latter allowing internal rotation in the bile pigment, appears largely to determine the mechanism of generation of optical activity. In the case of bilirubin and at excess serum albumin, the observed optical activity is considered to be due mainly to exciton coupling between electric transition dipole moments of the dipyrromethene chromophores within the asymmetrically bound bilirubin. The optical properties investigated may serve as a very sensitive measure of the different types of interaction between the biopolymer and the small conjugated molecule which result from structural and conformational differences of the molecules participating in complex formation.