Interaction between toxic azo dye C.I. Acid Red 88 and serum albumins

Serum albumin-toxic dye interaction studies will be of paramount importance in the field of toxicology due to its relation towards the distribution and transportation of dye in blood. In this regard, the binding between C.I. Acid Red 88 (AR88) and serum albumins (HSA and BSA) was investigated by using combination of spectroscopic and molecular modeling methods. The fluorescence results revealed that AR88 interact with serum albumins through the combination of static and dynamic quenching mechanism. The distance "r" between serum albumin and AR88 was obtained according to the Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) theory. Synchronous fluorescence and CD spectral results showed alterations in the microenvironment and conformation of serum albumins. The molecular docking method is also employed to understand the interaction of AR88 with serum albumins. All these studies confirm that BSA has more affinity towards AR88 than that of HSA which suggests that AR88 is more easily transported in the body of bovid than human and so it is more hazardous to bovids. -- Highlights: • AR88 interacts with serum albumin through the combination of both static and dynamic quenching mechanism. • The binding site of AR88 in serum albumins is nearer to tryptophan moiety. • Circular Dichroism spectra showed that AR88 alters α-helicity of serum albumin. • This interaction study could be greatly imperative for further investigations in toxicology