The cytotoxicity of BAMLET complexes is due to oleic acid and independent of the α-lactalbumin component.

ABSTRACT: Lipid-protein complexes comprised of oleic acid (OA) non-covalently coupled to human/bovine α-lactalbumin, named HAMLET/BAMLET, display cytotoxic properties against cancer cells. However, there is still a substantial debate about the role of the protein in these complexes. To shed light into this, we obtained three different BAMLET complexes using varying synthesis conditions. Our data suggest that to form active BAMLET particles, OA has to reach critical micelle concentration with an approximate diameter of 250 nm. Proteolysis experiments on BAMLET show that OA protects the protein and is probably located on the surface, consistent with a micelle-like structure. Native or unfolded α-lactalbumin without OA lacked any tumoricidal activity. In contrast, OA alone killed cancer cells with the

SUBMITTER: Delgado Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4430638 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature