Fluorescent Probe for Human Serum Albumin (HSA)-Drug Binding Assay

Human serum albumin (HSA), a transporter protein accounting for about 60% of serum proteins, binds to fatty acids, bilirubin, metal ions, etc. and circulates in blood. It is known that HSA also binds to drugs such as warfarin and ibuprofen. Since two drug binding sites are found mostly in HSA, identifying the drug binding site on HSA is important for pharmacokinetics.¹⁾
BD140, developed by Chang et al., is a novel fluorescent probe which binds to drug binding site 2 specifically.²⁾ A simple and quick drug binding assay can be attained with a combination of BD140 and dansylamide, a specific fluorescent probe for drug binding site 1.