title: Characterization of BSA unfolding and aggregation using a single-capillary viscometer and dynamic surface tension detector.
abstract: A dynamic surface tension detector (DSTD) has been equipped with an additional pressure sensor for simultaneous viscosity measurements, as a detector for flow injection analysis. The viscosity measurement is based on a single capillary viscometer (SCV) placed in parallel configuration with the DSTD. The viscometer in the optimized conditions consists of a PEEK capillary (i.d.=0.25 mm, L=75 cm) kept at constant temperature using a thermostatic bath, which leads on the two sides to the two arms of a differential piezoelectric pressure transducer with a range of 0-35 psi. The DSTD, described previously, measures the changing pressure across the liquid/air interface of 2 μL drops repeatedly forming at the end of a capillary. SCV performance has been evaluated by measuring dynamic viscosity of water/glycerol mixtures analysed in flow injection and comparing the results with the values reported in the literature. The detection limits of SCV and DSTD, calculated as 3σ of the blank, were 0.012 cP and 0.6 dyn cm(-1), respectively. The FI-SCV-DSTD system has been applied to the study of temperature-induced denaturation/aggregation process in bovine serum albumin (BSA). The results have been supported and discussed with respect to BSA conformational analysis performed using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy.
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, C.N.R., Istituto di Chimica dei Composti Organo Metallici-ICCOM-UOS Pisa, Area di Ricerca, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy. bramanti@pi.iccom.cnr.it
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bramanti
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Angeli
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Onor
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Synovec
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D057230:Limit of Detection; D011489:Protein Denaturation; D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine / Q000737:chemistry*; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013500:Surface Tension; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D012710:Serum Albumin, Bovine