The interaction of BSA and a water-soluble cationic poly(heteroarylene methine) bearing pyridinium salts (WSCP) has been investigated by spectrophotometric and spectrofluorometric methods. The absorption and fluorescence spectra of BSA suggest that BSA and WSCP form a protein-polymer ground state complex due to electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged surface of BSA and the cationic side chains of WSCP. The interaction causes a decrease in fluorescence intensity of BSA due to static quenching. In addition, an enhancement in fluorescence signal of WSCP with BSA can be attributed to the surfactant property of BSA. The complex formation between BSA and WSCP results from not only electrostatic attractive force but also hydrophobic interaction, and WSCP can become a fluorescence probe for homogeneous BSA detection.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.