Analysis of binding ability of two tetramethylpyridylporphyrins to albumin and its complex with bilirubin

•The interaction of bovine serum albumin and its bilirubin conjugate with two tetramethylpyridylporphyrins were explored by spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking.•The fluorescence quenching mechanism is associated with static quenching.•The binding constants and binding sites were determined.•Porphyrins effectively bind to free albumin compared to its bilirubin complex.

An interaction between 5,10,15,20-tetrakis-(N-methyl-x-pyridyl)porphyrins, x = 2; 4 (TMPyPs) with bovine serum albumin (BSA) and its bilirubin (BR) complex was investigated by UV–Viz and fluorescence spectroscopy under imitated physiological conditions involving molecular docking studies. The parameters of forming intermolecular complexes (binding constants, quenching rate constants, quenching sphere radius etc.) were determined. It was showed that the interaction between proteins and TMPyPs occurs via static quenching of protein fluorescence and has predominantly hydrophobic and electrostatic character. It was revealed that obtained complexes are relatively stable, but in the case of TMPyP4 binding with proteins occurs better than TMPyP2. Nevertheless, both TMPyPs have better binding ability with free protein compared to BRBSA at the same time. The influence of TMPyPs on the conformational changes in protein molecules was studied using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. It was found that there is no competition of BR with TMPyPs for binging sites on protein molecule and BR displacement does not occur. Molecular docking calculations have showed that TMPyPs can bind with albumin via tryptophan residue in the hydrophilic binding site of protein molecule but it is not one possible interaction way.

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