Spectroscopic studies of interaction between biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles and bovine serum albumin

Binding interaction of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has been investigated by UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. UV-Vis analysis implies the formation of the ground state complex between BSA and silver nanoparticles. The analysis of fluorescence spectrum and fluorescence intensity indicates that silver nanoparticles (SNP) have a strong ability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by dynamic quenching mechanisms. The number of binding sites 'n' and binding constants 'K' were determined at different temperatures based on fluorescence quenching. The thermodynamic parameters namely deltaH, deltaG, and deltaS were calculated at different temperatures (20, 30, and 40 degrees C) and the results indicate that both hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions were predominantly present in the SNP-BSA complex. Negative deltaG values imply that the binding process is spontaneous.