Characterization and effects of binding of food-derived bioactive phycocyanobilin to bovine serum albumin

•Phycocyanobilin (PCB) from Spirulina binds to BSA with high affinity at two sites.•PCB stereo-selectively binds at the inter-domain cleft and at subdomain IB.•PCB binding increases the thermal stability of BSA.•PCB and BSA are mutually protective against free radical-induced oxidation.•BSA can serve as a suitable delivery system for PCB. Phycocyanobilin (PCB) is a blue tetrapyrrole chromophore of C-phycocyanin, the main protein of the microalga Spirulina, with numerous proven health-related benefits. We examined binding of PCB to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and how it affects protein and ligand stability. Protein fluorescence quenching and microscale thermophoresis demonstrated high-affinity binding (Ka=2×106M−1). Spectroscopic titration with molecular docking analysis revealed two binding sites on BSA, at the inter-domain cleft and at subdomain IB, while CD spectroscopy indicated stereo-selective binding of the P conformer of the pigment to the protein. The PCB protein complex showed increased thermal stability. Although complex formation partly masked the antioxidant properties of PCB and BSA, a mutually protective effect against free radical-induced oxidation was found. BSA could be suitable for delivery of PCB as a food colorant or bioactive component. Our results also highlight subtle differences between PCB binding to bovine vs. human serum albumin.