Study of the Fluorescence Based Applications of Pyrene-Tagged Poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)

In this study we have explored the fluorescence based applications of luminescent pyrene-tagged PNVP (PyPNVP) reported in our previous work (Int. J. Polym. Mater. Polym. Biomater. 2016, 65, 269-276). PyPNVP has successfully acted as "turn off" chemosensor for metal ions Cu²⁺, Hg²⁺, and Pb²⁺. It has also successfully acted as a fluorescent probe for critical micellar concentration (CMC) determination of amphiphilic block copolymer of poly(d,l-lactide) and poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PDLLA₄₂-PNVP₁₂₀) (M_n = 19 400 g/mol and PD = 1.52). It has also successfully shown an interaction with both plasmid and calf thymus (CT) deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs) as evidenced by its fluorescence quenching. A different magnitude and type of quenching has been observed for both the cases which may be useful in distinguishing different kinds of DNAs. In order to further understand the potential of PyPNVP in various biotechnological processes, its binding property with bovine serum albumin (BSA) has also been studied. The efficient quenching of intrinsic fluorescence of BSA by PyPNVP through binding and the occurrence of the fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) type of interaction have been studied using steady state, synchronous, and 3D fluorescence spectroscopies. Moreover, a fluorescence microscopic cell imaging study has revealed the significant uptake of PyPNVP in the nucleus of HEPG2 and U87 cells compared to free Py. In addition, the cytotoxicity study showed the tolerance of PyPNVP in all the cell lines tested with no significant cytotoxicity at lower concentrations.