title: Characterizing natural colloidal/particulate-protein interactions using fluorescence-based techniques and principal component analysis.
abstract: Characterization of the interactions between natural colloidal/particulate- and protein-like matter is important for understanding their contribution to different physiochemical phenomena like membrane fouling, adsorption of bacteria onto surfaces and various applications of nanoparticles in nanomedicine and nanotoxicology. Precise interpretation of the extent of such interactions is however hindered due to the limitations of most characterization methods to allow rapid, sensitive and accurate measurements. Here we report on a fluorescence-based excitation-emission matrix (EEM) approach in combination with principal component analysis (PCA) to extract information related to the interaction between natural colloidal/particulate- and protein-like matter. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis and fiber-optic probe based surface fluorescence measurements were used to confirm that the proposed approach can be used to characterize colloidal/particulate-protein interactions at the physical level. This method has potential to be a fundamental measurement of these interactions with the advantage that it can be performed rapidly and with high sensitivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 3G1.
authors.forename: Ramila H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Peiris
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ignagni
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Budman
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Moresoli
authors.forename: Raymond L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Legge
mesh_terms: D003102:Colloids; D007768:Lactalbumin / Q000737:chemistry; D055100:Optical Fibers; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011485:Protein Binding; D011506:Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance
chemical_list: D003102:Colloids; D011506:Proteins; D007768:Lactalbumin