Binding of amifostine to human serum albumin: a biophysical study

The aim of this present work is to investigate the interaction between amifostine and human serum albumin (HSA) in simulated physiological conditions by spectroscopic methods to reveal potential toxic effects of the drug. The results reflected that amifostine caused fluorescence quenching of HSA through a static quenching process, which was further confirmed by the electrochemical experiments. The binding constants at 290, 297 and 304 K were obtained as 2.53 × 10(5) /M, 8.13 × 10(4) /M and 3.59 × 10(4) /M, respectively. There may be one binding site of amifostine on HSA. The thermodynamic parameters indicated that the interaction between amifostine and HSA was driven mainly by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces. Synchronous fluorescence spectra, circular dichroism and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed amifostine binding slightly changed the conformation of HSA with secondary structural content changes. Förster resonance energy transfer study revealed high possibility of energy transfer with amifostine-Trp-214 distance of 3.48 nm. The results of the present study may provide valuable information for studying the distribution, toxicological and pharmacological mechanisms of amifostine in vivo.