Coelho, Carlos D. F.Jesus, João A.Vaz, Daniela C.Lagoa, RicardoMoreno, Maria João2022-10-212022-10-212022-08-25Coelho, C.D.F.; Jesus, J.A.; Vaz, D.C.; Lagoa, R.; Moreno, M.J. BSA-PEG Hydrogel: A Novel Protein-Ligand Binding 3D Matrix. Med. Sci. Forum 2022, 11, 1. https://doi.org/10.3390/ BiTaP-12878http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/7803Hydrogel materials have good biomimetic properties and high potential for biomedical and bioanalytical applications. In this work, a hydrogel of serum albumin crosslinked with poly-(ethylene glycol) was prepared and characterized for its water content, protein structure and stability. The ability of the hydrogel to bind small molecule ligands with different hydrophobicity was evaluated using a homologous series of amphiphiles (NBD-Cn, n = 4, 6 and 8) and the calculated binding affinities were similar to that of free protein in solution. Overall, the results indicate this type of hydrogel system as a convenient tool for studying the binding of xenobiotics to tissue proteins.engLigand bindingSerum albuminHydrogelProtein structurejournal articlehttps://doi.org/10.3390/BiTaP-128782673-9992