Effects of γ-Irradiation on the Molecular Structures and Functions of Human Serum Albumin

In this paper, we use spectroscopic methods (fluorescence spectroscopy, UV absorption spectroscopy, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy) to elucidate the effects of reactive oxygen species generated by -irradiation on the molecular properties of human serum albumin (HSA). The results of fluorescence spectroscopy indicated that oxidation by -irradiation can lead to conformational changes of HSA. Data of CD spectra suggested that with the increase of radiation dose the percentage of -helix in HSA has decreased. The determination of protein hydrophobicity showed that the effective hydrophobicity of HSA decreased up to 62% compared to the native HSA solution due to the exposure to the -irradiation. Furthermore, small changes in the esterase-like activity of HSA were introduced because of oxidation. The content of bityrosine increased markedly, suggesting that the oxidized HSA was aggregated. Moreover, there was no obvious change in the molecular properties of HSA with low -irradiation dose. Changes happened when the irradiation dose exceeded 200 Gy.