Interaction of residue tetracycline hydrochloride in milk with β-galactosidase protein by multi-spectrum methods and molecular docking

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of residue tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in milk on molecular structure and activity of β-Gal. Inhibition kinetics assay showed the TCH inhibited β-Gal activity reversibly in a competitive manner. In addition, differences in the activity of β-Gal in the absence and presence of TCH as a function of pH and temperature were found although the optimum pH and temperature of β-Gal remained similar. Fluorescence experiment results showed that TCH effectively quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of β-Gal via static quenching. Thermodynamic parameters delineated the major roles of electrostatic forces played between β-Gal and TCH. Additionally, synchronous fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra (CD spectra) results indicated the secondary structure of β-Gal was changed due to the formation of β-Gal−TCH complexes. The molecular docking further revealed that TCH interacted with some amino acid residues of β-Gal, affecting the active site of the enzyme and thus leading to change in enzyme activity. These alterations in conformation and activity of β-Gal should be taken into consideration while using β-Gal for producing oligosaccharide prebiotics on dairy industries.