Spectroscopic studies on the interaction between ZnSe nanoparticles with bovine serum albumin

The interaction between ZnSe nanoparticles (NPs) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was studied by UV–vis, fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. The results showed that the fluorescence of BSA was strongly quenched by ZnSe NPs and the quenching mechanism was discussed to be a static quenching procedure, which was proved by quenching constant (Kq). The recorded UV–vis data and the fluorescence data quenching by the ZnSe NPs showed that the interaction between them leads to the formation of ZnSe–BSA complex. Based on the synchronous fluorescence spectra, it was established that the conformational change of BSA was induced by the interaction of ZnSe with the tyrosine micro-region of the BSA molecules. Furthermore, the temperature effects on the structural and spectroscopic properties of individual ZnSe NPs and protein and their bioconjugates (ZnSe–BSA) were also researched. It was found that, compared to the monotonic decrease of the individual ZnSe NPs fluorescence intensity, the temperature dependence of the ZnSe–BSA emission had a much more complex behavior, which was highly sensitive to the conformational changes of the protein.