Abstract
Biomacromolecule-nanoparticle interaction is an important tool for controlling several cellular and extracellular processes. Nanoparticles, when introduces in any biological fluids, have likelihoods to interact with biomolecules, particularly, with proteins and nucleic acids. In this study, silver nanoparticles were functionalized with polyvinylthiol (Ag-PVT) and characterized by TEM. Absorbance, intrinsic, extrinsic & synchronous fluorescence, and circular dichroism measurements were performed to understand the conjugation of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and Ag-PVT nanoparticles. Quenching of BSA fluorescence by Ag-PVT nanoparticles was a result of the formation of BSA-nanoparticle complex by a static mechanism. A significant change on secondary structure of BSA was confirmed with both CD and synchronous fluorescence results. Fluorescence quenching results were analyzed by using Stern-Volmer equation. Ag-PVT nanoparticles were found to be bounded by hydrophobic patches of BSA and displaced the hydrophobic external probe 1-anilino-8-naphthalene-sulfonate (ANS). By using Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) it was found that Ag-PVT is located in the close proximity of the BSA.