Interaction between lysozyme and procyanidin: multilevel structural nature and effect of carbohydrates

The interaction of procyanidins with proteins has aroused extensive attention due to its important relationship with the bioavailability and astringent property of polyphenols. In the present work, we have investigated the interactions of lysozyme with procyanidin dimer (B3) using various biophysical approaches, which aims to provide insights into the mechanism of protein/polyphenol aggregation. Procyanidin B3 spontaneously binds lysozyme, inducing the multilevel structural changes in lysozyme and the formation of insoluble complexes. The relationship between lysozyme aggregation and the loss of enzymatic activity was monitored using dynamic light scattering and fluorescence quenching. The influences of two carbohydrates (gum arabic and sucrose) on lysozyme/B3 aggregation were also studied. Gum arabic effectively inhibited the formation of insoluble aggregates, but was unable to restore the fluorescence and activity of lysozyme. However, sucrose concomitantly decreased the aggregate size with the recovery of fluorescence and lysozyme activity. These results proposed two probable mechanisms by which these two carbohydrates inhibit protein/polyphenol aggregation.