Protein Adsorption on Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate and Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate): Adsorption Isotherms and Conformational Analysis of the Adsorbed Protein

Abstract

The equilibrium adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) surfaces was studied at different solution concentrations. The equilibrium adsorption data were fitted to the Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models. The protein adsorption behaviour was further investigated by analysing the conformation of surface adsorbed BSA using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with an Attenuated Total Reflectance (ATR) apparatus. The results showed that the Freundlich isotherm is a better fit for the adsorption of BSA on PHB and PHBV surfaces, which can be explained by the significant conformational changes that BSA undergoes upon adsorption.