Combined use of nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopy for studying recognition processes between amphenicolic antibiotics and albumin

Biological reactions are mostly concerned with selective interactions between small ligands and macromolecular receptors. The same ligands may activate responses of different intensities and/or effects in the presence of different receptors. Many approaches based on spectroscopic and non-spectroscopic methods have been used to study interactions between small ligands and macromolecular receptors, including methods based on NMR and IR spectroscopic analysis of the solution behaviour of the ligand in the presence of receptors. In this work, we investigated the interaction between ovine serum albumin with two amphenicolic antibiotics [chloramphenicol (CAP) and thiamphenicol (TAP)], using a combined approach based on NMR and IR methodologies, furnishing complementary information about the recognition process occurring within the two systems. The two ligands, despite their similar structures, showed different affinities towards albumin. NMR methodology is based on the comparison of selective and non-selective spin–lattice relaxation rates of the ligands in the presence and absence of macromolecular receptors and RNS1 and RSE1 temperature dependence analysis. From these studies, the ligand–receptor binding strength was evaluated on the basis of the ‘affinity index.’ The derivation of the affinity index from chemical equilibrium kinetics for both the CAP–albumin and TAP–albumin systems allowed a comparison of the abilities of the two amphenicolic antibiotics to interact with the protein. IR methodology is based on the comparison of the ligand–protein ‘complex’ spectra with those of the non-interacting systems. On the basis of the differences revealed, a more thorough IR analysis was performed in order to understand the structural changes which occurred on both ligand and protein molecules within the interacting system.