{
  "abstract": "We investigate the interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with two Ga(III)-NOTA-functionalized amphiphilic dendrimers 1 and 2 that self-assemble into corresponding nanomicelles 1@ and 2@, which were previously evaluated as positron emission tomography imaging nanoplatforms with distinct biodistribution profiles. These two nanosystems share the same Ga(III)-NOTA surface chemistry but differ in hydrophobic architecture and, consequently, in micellar stability. A combined physicochemical and computational workflow was used to quantify albumin binding, protein structural response, colloidal changes, and interfacial organization. Fluorescence quenching indicated HSA engagement by both nanomicelles, with a stronger perturbation of the Trp214 emission response for 2@. Isothermal titration calorimetry confirmed this ranking, showing that HSA has higher apparent affinity for 2@ than for 1@ (Kd = 8.2 ± 3.8 μM and 39.4 ± 26.7 μM, respectively), with exothermic and thermodynamically favorable association in both cases. Analysis of the integrated heat profiles supported apparent compositions of approximately three HSA molecules per 1@ micelle and four HSA molecules per 2@ micelle. Circular dichroism and three-dimensional fluorescence showed that HSA largely retains its α-helical structure and Trp214 microenvironment upon binding, whereas dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential measurements confirmed formation of protein-nanomicelle complexes. Enhanced-sampling simulations reproduced the preferred HSA loading states and suggested that 2@ promotes a broader Ga(III)-NOTA-rich interfacial network. These findings indicate that the internal hydrophobic architecture can modulate albumin recognition even when the nominal Ga(III)-NOTA surface chemistry is conserved, providing a plausible molecular explanation for the distinct biodistribution behavior of these nanoprobes in biomedical imaging.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 7,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Anna Laura La Monaca"
    },
    {
      "name": "Gabriele Cavalieri"
    },
    {
      "name": "Domenico Marson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tom Roussel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ling Peng"
    },
    {
      "name": "Erik Laurini"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sabrina Pricl"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86rrm3dwv4nk1.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.6c01116",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "86rrm3dwv4nk1",
  "issns": [
    "1543-8384",
    "1543-8392"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05801902v1",
  "language": "en",
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "hal",
      "0.chim"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "0.sdv"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.chim.theo"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "1.sdv.ib"
    ],
    [
      "hal",
      "2.sdv.ib.bio"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "1312|Protein Interaction Studies and Fluorescence Analysis"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220383409",
  "pdf_url": "https://hal.science/hal-05801902/document",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86rrm3dwv4nk1.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
      "native_id": "hal-05801902",
      "source": "hal",
      "url": "https://hal.science/hal-05801902v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "hal:1.sdv.ib",
      "subfield": "systems-synthetic"
    },
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "hal:1.chim.theo",
      "subfield": "theoretical"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Experimental and Computational Characterization of Human Serum Albumin Recognition by Ga(III)-NOTA Dendrimer Nanomicelles with Distinct PET Biodistribution Profiles",
  "title_text": "Experimental and Computational Characterization of Human Serum Albumin Recognition by Ga(III)-NOTA Dendrimer Nanomicelles with Distinct PET Biodistribution Profiles",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:58Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/86rrm3dwv4nk1",
  "venue": "Molecular Pharmaceutics",
  "versions": []
}