Insights on cold atmospheric plasma treatment of ethidium bromide and its binding to protein BSA

Abstract

Abstract Ethidium bromide (Et-Br) is a dye prevalently used in microbiology laboratories to visualize its binding to DNA under UV light. After usage, the Et-Br thrown from the lab as waste can reach waterbodies and it is toxic not only to aquatic life but also to humankind. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel technology used to degrade various hazardous chemicals as it produces reactive species (ROS/ RNS) which work synergistically to degrade these hazardous chemicals. Molecular docking studies show that Et-Br has strong binding affinity with BSA. Here, to test the efficacy of CAP treatment, the binding interaction of Et-Br with protein Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) before and after CAP treatment has been studied. Herein, various biophysical techniques were used to study interaction of Et-Br with BSA before and after CAP treatment. Our investigation provides insight into the applicability of CAP to degrade hazardous chemicals such as Et-Br with potential environmental applications.