A proton NMR relaxation study of water dynamics in bovine serum albumin nanoparticles

Water dynamics and compartmentation in glutaraldehyde cross-linked bovine serum albumin nanoparticles have been investigated by an integrated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) protocol based on water relaxation times and self-diffusion coefficients measurements. Multi-exponentially of water relaxation curves has been accounted for according to a diffusive and chemical exchange model (see B. P. Hills, S. F. Takacs and P. S. Belton, Mol. Phys., 1989, 67(4), 903, and Mol. Phys., 1989, 67(4), 913; E. Brosio, M. Belotti and R. Gianferri, in Food Science and Technology: New Research, ed. L. V. Greco and M. N. Bruno, Nova Science Publishers, Hauppauge (NY), 2008) that made it possible to single out water molecules in the molecular spaces in the interior of albumin nanoparticles, in the meso-cavities formed by packed nanoparticles and in the meniscus on top of the nanoparticles suspension. A quantitative rationalization of T2 values of water different components allowed morphological information to be acquired as for the size of water filled compartments, while self-diffusion coefficient measurements of water excess or fluxed packed nanoparticles suspensions are describers of transport properties of soft biomaterials. The paper reports an NMR approach that can be seen as a general and relevant method to characterize excess-water-swollen soft biomaterials.