A
Recenthave shown dramatic effects of C a + + on the binding of drugs to human serum albumin (HSA). For example, dialysis studies showed that the binding of warfarin was increased over the pH range 5-9 following the addition of C a + + . This was apparently due to the effect of the ion on the N-B (neutral-basic) equilibrium of the HSA, the equilibrium occurring over this same pH range. On the other hand CI-at physiological concentrations was found to reduce the binding of warfarin to HSA by a competitive binding mechanism. Subsequently M g + + was found to reduce the binding of warfarin to HSA when the protein was in the B form, but there was little effect at the physiological P H .~ On the other hand Ca+ + was found to reduce the binding of diazepam3 and benoxaprofen4 to HSA, over the pH range of the N-B conformational change. These drugs do not share a primary binding site with warfarin.'. ' This phenomenon may be due to competition between Ca' + and the drugs for the imidazole residues at the binding sites.4 The interesting possibility arises of Ca+ + being used as a marker to determine which of the two major and independent binding sites (the warfarin or the diazepam site') on HSA, a given drug has as its primary binding site. The work reported in Table 1 was primarily designed to test this possibility.Dialysis was conducted as previously described2a4 using 0.1 M sodium chloride with the pH adjusted with sodium hydroxide or hydrochloric acid, with and without 2.5 x M calcium chloride at 25". N o clear cut pattern arises as far as the assignment of binding sites from the effect of the C a + + on the extent of binding. This is assuming that the assignment of binding sites in the literature is correct.'. ' The data in the table, especially for salicyclic acid, phenytoin, dicumarol, ibuprofen, diazepam, and benoxaprofen, stress the dramatic effect C a + + can have on the extent of binding of drugs to HSA and, although 0