A detailed analysis of the influence of β-cyclodextrin derivates on the thermal denaturation of lysozyme.

The influence of HPβCD on the thermal denaturation of lysozyme was analyzed mainly from microcalorimetry and Raman investigations carried out in the molecular fingerprint and the low-frequency regions. It was shown that Raman spectroscopy investigations performed on a wide spectral range give the opportunity to describe the influence of HPβCD on the mechanism of protein denaturation. Using DO as solvent allowed us to show that HPβCD mainly destabilizes the tertiary structure of lysozyme by enhancing the protein flexibility and thus inducing the destabilization of the secondary structure. Principal components analysis (PCA) was used for spectra treatment, providing important information about inclusion complex formation between protein hydrophobic residues and CDs molecules. Combining PCA and classical technics (curve fitting) of data analysis allowed a better understanding of the influence of HPβCD on the protein denaturation that seems to be related to the CDs capacity to form inclusion complex. It was observed that these interactions prevent the formation of new strong H-bonds between β-sheet structures thereby inhibiting protein aggregation. This study reveals that CDs are promising systems for inhibiting protein aggregation without protein denaturation, only if designing derivative CDs is carefully controlled.