The gold (Au) nanoparticles (NPs) with the diameter of 15-40 nm were successfully synthesized in the hierarchical hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanostructures of natural fish scale templates, which were carried out by the Au3+ ion chemisorption, reduction and calcination processes to form the AuNPs/HAp hybrids. The AuNPs size as well as the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) absorption maximum was preserved with the hybridization process. Moreover, the AuNPs/HAp hybrid nanostructures exhibited preferential protein adsorption behavior at the biological bovine serum albumin (Ab) concentration regions that correspond to be 1.5 mu M in the cell culture medium and 15.1 mu M in human blood, and the Ab adsorption equilibrium constant of AuNPs/HAp hybrid was higher than that of the HAp alone. The SPR absorption maxima of the Ab-adsorbed AuNPs/HAp fish scales were red-shifted as compared with those of the AuNPs/HAp fish scales. Therefore, we synthesized the AuNPs using the fish scale template to exhibit the preferential protein adsorption, which will be a great significance to research the AuNPs/HAp hybrid functions. (C) 2018 The Society of Powder Technology Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. and The Society of Powder Technology Japan. All rights reserved.