The investigation of the effect of the interaction of zinc oxide nanoparticles with the DNA of the thymus gland

Nowadays, nanotechnology is rapidly developing and has significant effects on industry, society and the environment. In this study, the interaction between the zinc oxide nanoparticles and the DNA of calf thymus was investigated.

We investigated the interaction of zinc oxide nanoparticles with the DNA of calf thymus using various ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy methods, fluorescence, and circular dichroism (CD) technique at both room and physiologic temperatures.

Ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy data indicated that the increased concentration of zinc oxide nanoparticles rainses DNA absorption. Extrinsic fluorescence emission of ethidium bromide (EB) showed that as zinc oxide nanoparticles increase, the emission intensity of EB decreases, which might indicate the intercalation of nanoparticles into DNA structure. Moreover, CD data showed that the synthesized zinc oxide causes structural changes in DNA.

Finally, the results revealed that zinc oxide nanoparticles could be bound with DNA and induce certain structural changes in DNA structure. On the other hand, due to the interaction of the chemical oxide nanoparticle with the vital macromolecule of the DNA cell, the side effects and the toxicity caused by its increasing consumption for humans and the environment should be considered.