Interactions between human retinol dehydrogenase proteins and nanoclays by PM-IRRAS: studies for advanced nanomaterials' development

Abstract

The main goal of this project is to study the interactions between the proteins Human Retinol Dehydrogenase 11 (RDH11) and Human Retinol Dehydrogenase 12 (RDH12), which are both involved in the retinoid cycle, and halloysite (HNT) and kaolinite (KAO) nanoclays in different physical-chemical environments, by means of Polarization Modulation Infrared Reflection Absorption Spectroscopy (PM-IRRAS). This problem is particularly important to the development of advanced nanomaterials for drug delivery, in which the efficiency of the system is determined by the incorporation strategies and composite fabrication, that must be performed in such a way that no significant change in the biomolecules take place, thus not compromising their biological activity. Thereafter, the breakthrough in the development of advanced nanomaterials for biotechnological applications strongly depends on conformational studies of biomolecules incorporated into the system (nanoclays and polymers), considering the physico-chemical changes that materials processing can cause. This field of study requires the use of several physico-chemical and spectroscopic methods that will provide, not only the characterization of structural changes, but also the determination of thermodynamics parameters of biomolecules and their interactions with the environment.