Intramolecular Complex Formation of Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with Human Serum Albumin

Complexation of human serum albumin (HSA) with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) ranging in molecular weight (M̄ PNIPA) from 2.1 × 104 to 1.72 × 106 was studied in an aqueous system (pH 3) containing NaCl as a supporting salt. Dynamic light scattering, static light scattering, electrophoretic light scattering, and dialyzing techniques were used as the experimental tool in a suitable combination. The measurements were performed mainly at 25 °C and at 0.01 M NaCl as a function of mixing ratio (r m, molar ratio of PNIPA to HSA). The results of DLS and ELS evidently demonstrated the formation of a water-soluble complex through mixing of HSA and PNIPA. A detailed analysis of SLS data with the aid of dialysis data revealed that the resulting complex is an “intramolecular” complex consisting of a PNIPA chain with several of bound HSA molecules. Both hydrodynamic radius (R h) and radius gyration (R g) of intramolecular complexes decreased as r m was increased. This result correlated well to the fact that the number (n) of bound proteins per polymer decreases with increasing r m. The size and the molar mass of the complex became large depending on M̄ PNIPA, but the increase of M̄ PNIPA led to a decrease in n at r m < 1. The increase in NaCl concentration from 0.01 to 0.3 M brought about the increase in the size and the molar mass of an intramolecular HSA−PNIPA complex prepared at r m = 1.1. This was found to be due to an increase of n. A similar trend was observed when temperature rose from 25 to 32 °C (close to lower critical solution temperature of PNIPA). However, the effect of temperature on the increase of was strong in comparison with that of ionic strength. On the basis of these results obtained, the complexation mechanism was discussed in detail.