Time-resolved tryptophan fluorescence as an approach to detect conformational abnormalities of the serum albumin molecule in melancholic depression

Introduction. Approaches to therapy, predicting the dynamics and evaluating the effectiveness of psychopharmacotherapy of mood disorders is an extremely important problem in biological psychiatry. The fluorescence of a tryptophan residue is very sensitive to changes in the structure of its environment in the protein. In human serum albumin (HSA), radiation at wavelengths from 295 to 305 nm absorbs mainly tryptophan (Trp214), which, as an internal probe of albumin molecules, makes it possible to selectively observe the state of the albumin molecule and its possible conformational changes.