Revealing the binding properties between resorcinol and DNA

Resorcinol (1,3-dihydroxybenzene) is a common coupling agent in permanent hair dyes, and has arrested people's attention for its potential hazard to human health. However, the action mechanism of resorcinol and human DNA has not been elucidated. In this research, the binding properties between resorcinol and calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) were studied for the first time through various spectral and molecular docking techniques. Spectral studies showed that the initial fluorescence quenching of resorcinol against DNA was a static one. The result of Delta H < 0 and Delta S > 0 was produced from thermodynamic experimental data, therefore it could be concluded that electrostatic force was the major driving force, while binding constant K-b was 1.56 x 10(4) M-1 at 298 K. The electrostatic binding network between resorcinol and ct-DNA was established explicitly through competitive substitution analysis and other spectral approaches. The results of FT-IR absorption spectra indicated that resorcinol had bound to the DNA phosphate skeleton. Molecular docking clearly revealed that binding occurred between hydroxyl groups of resorcinol and phosphorus oxygen bonds (P-O) of the DNA skeleton. These findings may deepen our understanding of the action mechanism between resorcinol and ct-DNA and provide some useful data on the effect of resorcinol on human diseases.

Automated summary

In this study, the binding properties between resorcinol and ct-DNA were investigated for the first time using various spectral and molecular docking techniques. The results showed that electrostatic force was the major driving force for the binding, with a binding constant of 1.56 x 10(4) M-1. The study also explicitly established the electrostatic binding network between resorcinol and ct-DNA, and found that resorcinol bound to the phosphate skeleton of DNA.