Optical Study of the Influence of the Medium Acidity on the Interaction between Gold Nanoparticles and Bovine Serum Albumin in Aqueous Solution

The influence of the solution acidity on the interaction between bovine serum albumin (BSA) molecules and gold nanoparticles in solutions has been investigated by absorbance spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The influence of pH on the processes of aggregation–disaggregation of gold nanoparticles with BSA and without it and on the denaturation of protein solution is demonstrated. It is also shown that BSA molecules can stabilize gold nanoparticles at acidic pH values of 2.0–4.0. The data obtained can be useful for physiologists studying the influence of nanoparticles on different biological media of the body.