Thermodynamic and structural study of pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde/DNA interactions by molecular spectroscopy: Probing intercalation and binding properties

The binding of pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde (1-PyCHO) with ctDNA was investigated through absorption, intrinsic and induced circular dichroism, viscosity measurements and steady-state fluorescence. The binding and the number of monomer units of the polymer involved in the binding of one dye molecule (site size) have been quantified. The results indicated that the 1-PyCHO molecule binds to the ctDNA in an intercalative mode. The spectroscopic evidence of this intercalation process is also corroborated by the effect of urea, iodide-induced fluorescence quenching of pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde and competitive binding using a fluorescent intercalator, SYBR Green I (SG). The induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectra of pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde complexed with ctDNA show that pyrene-1-carboxaldehyde intercalates into ctDNA and that the intercalation orientation of pyrene to the DNA base-pairs long axis is heterogeneous. On the other hand, the intrinsic circular dichroism (CD) spectra show a stabilization of the right-handed B form of ctDNA, due to the intercalation process.