Proflavin – based biomimetic systems: fluorescence emission monitoring and antioxidant activity assessment

Abstract

Fluorescence emission monitoring of proflavin (PF)–human serum albumin (HSA)/deoxyribonucleic acid from Calf thymus (DNA) interaction in Dextran70 (Dx70) was studied. The voltammetric behavior of PF in PF–HSA/Dx70 systems and the redox potentials of PF as a function of reaction time were investigated. Antioxidant activity assessment of PF–HSA/DNA in Dx70 systems was determined by chemiluminescence assays. In Dx70, there are no major changes in the secondary structure of HSA upon PF binding, while photo-activated PF in the luminol–hydrogen peroxide chemiluminescent system leads to double-stranded DNA unwind for PF intercalation. The influence of temperature on the PF fluorescence and protein folding is also discussed. The results have relevance using PF in PF–HSA/DNA systems, as a sensitive fluorescence probe for biomedical use.