A direct calorimetric determination of denaturation enthalpy for lysozyme in sodium dodecyl sulfate

Thermodynamics of the interaction between sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) with lysozyme were investigated at pH 7.0 and 27 °C in phosphate buffer by isothermal titration calorimetry. A new method to follow protein denaturation, and the effect of surfactants on the stability of proteins was introduced. The new solvation model was used to reproduce the enthalpies of lysozyme–SDS interaction over the whole range of SDS concentrations. The solvation parameters recovered from the new equation, attributed to the structural change of lysozyme and its biological activity. At low concentrations of SDS, the binding is mainly electrostatic, with some simultaneous interaction of the hydrophobic tail with nearby hydrophobic patches on the lysozyme. These initial interactions presumably cause some protein unfolding and expose additional hydrophobic sites. The enthalpy of denaturation is 160.81 ± 0.02 kJ mol−1 for SDS.