Binding of selected phenolic compounds to proteins

In the context of this study, the noncovalent binding of selected phenolic compounds (chlorogenic, ferulic, and gallic acids, quercetin, rutin, and isoquercetin) to different proteins (human serum albumin, bovine serum albumin, soy glycinin, and lysozyme) was studied with direct (Hummel-Dreyer/size exclusion chromatography) and/or indirect methods (fluorescence absorbance properties of the binding components). In the latter case, the measurement of the phenol binding was achieved by exploiting the intrinsic fluorescence emission properties of quercetin as a probe. From the data obtained, the binding constants and the number of binding sites were calculated. The binding parameters were influenced by different factors, where, e.g., increasing temperature and ionic strength as well as decreasing pH cause a diminished binding. The structures of the proteins as determined by circular dichroism indicate changes in the tertiary structure with the secondary structure remaining intact.