Binding of doxyl stearic spin labels to human serum albumin: an EPR study

The binding of spin-labeled fatty acids (SLFAs) to the human serum albumin (HSA) examined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy was studied to evaluate the potential of the HSA/SLFA/EPR technique as a biomarking tool for cancer. A comparative study was performed on two spin labels with nitroxide groups attached at opposite ends of the fatty acid (FA) chain, 5-doxyl stearic (5-DS) and 16-doxyl stearic (16-DS) acid. The effects of incubation time, different [SLFA]/[HSA] molar ratios, ethanol, and temperature showed that the position of the nitroxide group produces certain differences in binding between the two SLFAs. Spectra for different [SLFA]/[HSA] molar ratios were decomposed into two spectral components, which correspond to the weakly and strongly bound SLFAs. The reduction of SLFA with ascorbate showed the existence of a two component process, fast and slow, confirming the decomposition results. Warfarin has no effect on the binding of the two SLFAs, whereas ibuprofen significantly decreases the binding of 5-DS and has no effect on 16-DS. Together, the results of this study indicate that both SLFAs, 5-DS and 16-DS, should be used for the study of HSA conformational changes in blood induced by various medical conditions.