Tuning the local solvent composition at a drug carrier surface: the effect of dimethyl sulfoxide/water mixture on the photofunctional properties of hypericin–β-lactoglobulin complexes
Author
Nonell, Santi
Rodríguez Amigo, Beatriz
Agut Bonsfills, Montserrat
Delcanale, Pietro
Juárez Jiménez, Jordi
Abbruzzetti, Stefania
Viappiani, Cristiano
Other authors
Universitat Ramon Llull. IQS
Publication date
2017-01Abstract
Aggregation is a major problem for the anti-microbial photodynamic applications of hydrophobic photosensitizers since it strongly reduces the amount of singlet oxygen generated in aqueous solutions. Binding of hypericin (Hyp) to the milk whey protein β-lactoglobulin (βLG), occurring at the two hydrophobic cavities located at the interface of the protein homodimer, can be exploited to confer water-solubility and biocompatibility to the photosensitizer. The introduction of a small amount of the organic cosolvent dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) leads to a remarkable improvement of the photophysical properties of the complex Hyp–βLG by increasing its fluorescence emission and singlet oxygen photosensitization quantum yields. Surprisingly, the ability of the complex to photo-inactivate bacteria of the strain Staphylococcus aureus is strongly reduced in the presence of DMSO, despite the higher yield of photosensitization. The reasons for this apparently contradictory behavior are investigated, providing new insights into the use of carrier systems for hydrophobic photosensitizers.
Document Type
Article
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
54 - Chemistry. Crystallography. Mineralogy
Keywords
Fotosensibilització (Biologia)
Sulfòxids
Hydrophobic photosensitizers
Dimeric protein
Antibacterial treatment
Pages
9 p.
Publisher
The Royal Society of Chemistry
Is part of
Journal of Materials Chemistry B. Vol.5, n.8 (2017), p.1633-1641
Grant agreement number
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO/PN I+D/CTQ2013-48767-C3-1-R
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/SUR del DEC/SGR/2014-SGR-1189
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
Rights
© The Royal Society of Chemistry
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/