Electrochemical and Spectroscopic Studies on the Interaction of Malachite Green with DNA and Its Application

The interaction of malachite green (MG) with double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) in pH 7.0 Britton–Robinson (B–R) buffer solution was investigated by electrochemical and spectrophotometric methods. Within the potential scan range of −1.0 to +1.5 V (vs. SCE), MG has two oxidative peaks at 0.547 V and 0.833 V and one reductive peak at 0.362 V on cyclic voltammogram at the scan rate of 0.20 V/s. After the addition of dsDNA into the MG solution, the oxidative peak current at 0.547 V decreases obviously. The electrochemical parameters, such as the charge transfer coefficient (α), the surface reaction rate constant (ks) and the diffusion coefficient (D), were calculated and compared between in the absence and presence of dsDNA. The results show that these parameters of MG after adding dsDNA have greatly changed, which indicates that an electrochemical active complex was formed. The interaction mechanisms of MG with dsDNA are discussed in some details from the electrochemistry and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The reduction of the peak current of MG after adding dsDNA was further used for the quantification of dsDNA by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The linear range for dsDNA is in the range of 10.0–100.0 μg/mL with the linear regression equation as Δip (μA)=0.065+0.0096 C (μg/mL) and the detection limit of 6.0 μg/mL (3σ). The influences of coexisting substances were investigated and artificial samples were determined with satisfactory results.