Applications Of Silver Nanoplates As Colorimetric Indicators Of Ph-induced Conformational Changes In Cytochrome C

摘要

Silver nanoplates (AgNPs) were used as a colorimetric indicator of pH-induced conformational changes in the protein, cytochorme c (cyt c). Cyt c was covalently bound to the surface of AgNPs, and UV-vis spectroscopy was used to identify changes in the optical properties of the resulting cyt c-AgNP conjugates in colloidal solution over pH, with values ranging from 3.1 to 10.6. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicated that the morphological changes in cyt c-AgNP conjugates were dependent on pH. Moreover, pH-induced conformational changes in cyt c could be detected by visual inspection of the color changes in cyt c-AgNPs, which occurred as a result of the coupling effect of localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by aggregated AgNPs.