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Binding Between Saikosaponin C and Human Serum Albumin by Fluorescence Spectroscopy and Molecular Docking

Yi-Cun Chen, Hong-Mei Wang, Qing-Xia Niu, Dan-Yan Ye, Guo-Wu Liang

Molecules. 2016 Jan 28;21(2):153.

PMID: 26828474

Abstract:

Saikosaponin C (SSC) is one of the major active constituents of dried Radix bupleuri root (Chaihu in Chinese) that has been widely used in China to treat a variety of conditions, such as liver disease, for many centuries. The binding of SSC to human serum albumin (HSA) was explored by fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), UV-vis spectrophotometry, and molecular docking to understand both the pharmacology and the basis of the clinical use of SSC/Chaihu. SSC produced a concentration-dependent quenching effect on the intrinsic fluorescence of HSA, accompanied by a blue shift in the fluorescence spectra. The Stern-Volmer equation showed that this quenching was dominated by static quenching. The binding constant of SSC with HSA was 3.72 × 10³ and 2.99 × 10³ L·mol(-1) at 26 °C and 36 °C, respectively, with a single binding site on each SSC and HSA molecule. Site competitive experiments demonstrated that SSC bound to site I (subdomain IIA) and site II (subdomain IIIA) in HSA. Analysis of thermodynamic parameters indicated that hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces were mostly responsible for SSC-HSA association. The energy transfer efficiency and binding distance between SSC and HSA was calculated to be 0.23 J and 2.61 nm at 26 °C, respectively. Synchronous fluorescence and CD measurements indicated that SSC affected HSA conformation in the SSC-HSA complex. Molecular docking supported the experimental findings in conformational changes, binding sites and binding forces, and revealed binding of SSC at the interface between subdomains IIA-IIB.

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number Product Name Structure CAS Number Price
AP20736087 Saikosaponin C Saikosaponin C 20736-08-7 Price
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