Toxic interaction between acid yellow 23 and trypsin: spectroscopic methods coupled with molecular docking.

Acid yellow 23 (AY23) is a pervasive azo dye used in many fields which is potentially harmful to the environment and human health. This paper studied the toxic effects of AY23 on trypsin by spectroscopic and molecular docking methods. The addition of AY23 effectively quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of trypsin via static quenching with association constants of K(290 K) = 3.67 × 10(5) L mol(-1) and K(310 K) = 1.83 × 10(5) L mol(-1). The calculated thermodynamic parameters conformed that AY23 binds to trypsin predominantly via electrostatic forces with one binding site. Conformational investigations indicated the skeletal structure of trypsin unfolded and the microenvironment of tryptophan changed with the addition of AY23. Molecular docking study showed that AY23 interacted with the His 57 and Lys 224 residue of trypsin and led to the inhibition of enzyme activity. This study offers a more comprehensive picture of AY23-trypsin interaction and indicates their interaction may perform toxic effects within the organism. 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc