In a previous work we demonstrated that toxic aggregates of the protein beta-amyloid (ATA beta) involved in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) can be destabilized upon electromagnetic irradiation of the peptide Cys-Leu-Pro-Phe-Phe-Asp (CLPFFD) adsorbed on gold nanospheres (AuNSs). For a selective recognition of the therapeutic target (i.e. ATA beta) of AD by the conjugates peptide-nanoparticle it is relevant to understand how the interaction between attached ligands and nanoparticles occurs. In this work a surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy (SERS) study of the interactions of CLPFFD with AuNSs of 10 nm average diameter was carried out. The SERS data suggest that phenylalanine displays its aromatic ring coplanar to the surface which is supported by theoretical data obtained from molecular mechanics (MM) and Extended Huckel Theory (EHT) calculations. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.