Non‐covalent Interaction of Perfluorooctanoic Acid with DNA

Abstract

AbstractHealth risk from exposure of perfluorochemicals to wildlife and human has been a subject of concern in many fields such as environmental ecology, toxicology, pathology and life sciences. The interactions of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) with DNA were investigated by equilibrium dialysis, circular dichroism and isothermal titration calorimetry techniques under normal physiological conditions in vitro. The binding of PFOA to DNA was a non‐covalent interaction and corresponded to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm in a two‐step binding model, in which PFOA climbed along the backbones of DNA and then interacted with the homolateral bases via hydrophobic interactions. The saturation number of PFOA was calculated to be 0.64 per base‐pair of DNA. Such an interaction caused the enhancement of circular dichroism spectra of DNA at both 245 and 275 nm, indicating the change of DNA conformation. The acidic media, low electrolyte and temperature ≦35°C are comparatively more favorable for PFOA binding to DNA. This work provides a useful experimental strategy for studying the interactions of perfluorochemicals with biomacromolecules, aiming at a better understanding of the gene toxicity mechanism of perfluorochemicals.