The interaction mechanism of nifedipine and pepsin

The interaction mechanism between nifedipine (NDP) and pepsin (PEP) at 298, 310, and 318 K was studied by various spectroscopic techniques and molecular docking. The experimental results showed that NDP mainly quenched the fluorescence of PEP by dynamic quenching of non-radiative energy transfer, but no significant changes in the secondary structure of PEP. The protein binding rate ( W ) of NDP measured at 310 K was 71.79–89.15%, and a binding rate model of NDP and PEP was established, W = − 0.1273 R 2 − 0.0519 R + 0.8973. Hill’s coefficients were approximately 1, which showed that the interaction of NDP and PEP will not affect the binding of subsequent drug to the protein. The molecular docking technique was used to simulate the interaction between NDP and PEP, the results demonstrated that the binding site of NDP is located in the active center of pepsin, which was consistent with the conclusion of the spectroscopic method, and it was also proved that the interaction of PEP–NDP system was driven by hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding. Graphical abstract