Can apomyoglobin form a complex with a spherical ligand? Interactions between apomyoglobin and [C ₆₀] fullerene derivative

The preparation and characterization of the stable equine skeletal muscle apomyoglobin and eee-isomer of tris-malonic acid [C ₆₀] fullerene complex is reported. For this new bio-nanomaterial preparation, a procedure of complexation-during-protein-refolding was used and the obtained compound sustained separation by gel-filtration and ion-exchange chromatography. The apomyoglobin-tris-malonic acid [C ₆₀] fullerene complex was characterized by UV-vis spectroscopy, steady state fluorescence, time-resolved fluorescence, and circular dichroism spectroscopies. Important information provided by this study, regarding the stability and properties of new material, may lead to a better understanding of the apomyoglobin protein binding characteristics, as well as to development of novel antioxidant and photodynamic therapeutic agents and components for bioelectronic devices.