| The molecular mechanism and thermodynamic properties of the interaction between diltiazem (DTZ)
and human serum albumin (HSA), has been studied in vitro using spectroscopic techniques (UV-Vis,
fluorescence, FTIR), and molecular docking methods. The effect of acidic and basic pH, glucose, urea,
and metal ions on the DTZ-HSA binding has been investigated as well. According to the results, there
is a 1:1 interaction between DTZ and HSA, while the quenching mechanism is static up to 313 K. The
apparent binding constant was 2.09 106 M1 that indicates a strong binding between DTZ and HSA.
DTZ binding was increased in acidic pH while its binding was slowly decreased in the presence of glucose, urea, and metal ions. Thermodynamic studies showed that DTZ binds to HSA via an exothermic
and spontaneous reaction via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. The conformational
alteration of HSA is obvious according to the FTIR study. The site marker competitive study confirmed
the binding of DTZ to the warfarin binding site. Molecular docking studies showed that DTZ binds to
subdomain IB (9.22 kcal mol1
) and subdomain IIIA (9.03 kcal mol1
) with a higher tendency. Also,
the results showed that the oxygen and nitrogen atoms of hydroxyl and amino functional groups of
DTZ facilitate hydrogen bond formation. |