Interaction of tea polyphenols with serum albumins: A fluorescence spectroscopic analysis

Interactions of some tea polyphenols, namely (−) Catechin (C), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (-) epicatechin-3-gallate (ECG), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC) and (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) are outlined with the serum albumin proteins. These interactions had all resulted in binding with the proteins with a concomitant static quenching of the protein fluorescence. A fluorescence technique has been considered as the tool to comprehend the polyphenol-protein interactions mainly and simultaneously other spectroscopic techniques used to verify the results have been discussed. In this mini review the different types of equations usually employed to calculate the binding constant values have been outlined, namely, modified Stern Volmer plot, Scatchard plot and Lineweaver Burk equation, with their corresponding results. The n values (number of binding sites) had always been close to unity suggesting a 1:1 complexation with the polyphenols and the protein. A structural change in the polyphenols has been found to alter the binding constant value and the galloyl moiety attached to the C ring of the polyphenols have been found to play a crucial role in this regard. It has been found that an increase in galloyl moiety increases binding of the catechins with proteins.