Weak interactive forces govern the interaction between a non-ionic surfactant with human serum albumin

The effect of the non-ionic surfactant Tween 40 (TW40) on Human Serum Albumin (HSA) has been studied by spectroscopic and isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) methods. Our steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic results reveal the perturbation of the native protein conformation upon interaction with TW40. The interaction of TW40 with HSA does not occur in a sequential manner unlike another anionic surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Our major conclusion is that the HSA–TW40 interaction is mainly driven by weak forces like van der Waal/hydrogen bonding interactions. This is also generalized from the results of interaction of HSA with another non-ionic surfactant TW80.