Peptide-TiO2 Interaction in Aqueous Solution: Conformational Dynamics of RGD Using Different Water Models

Adsorption behavior and dynamics of Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) tripeptides with different orientations onto the rutile TiO2 (110) surface in water solution were systematically investigated by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, using two different water models, TIP3P (transferable intermolecular potential 3P) and SPC/E (extended simple point charge). Possible ROD TiO2 binding modes in the form of hydrogen-bonding interactions, involving the amide groups (NH3+ or NH2+, NH2) and surface oxygen atoms were identified. The behavior of ROD in contact with the TiO2 layer was elucidated in detail by the analysis of atom atom distances, backbone dihedral angles and hydration layers distributed over the interface. The simulation results suggest that, the attachment modes of tripeptides with the same starting arrangement are similar when solvated in TIP3P and SPC/E water, but the conformational stability of the amino sequence is somewhat sensitive to the adopted solvent model. Moreover, the intensity of peptide surface interaction varies widely depending on the initial arrangement of the ROD sequence.