Application of an alkaloid as a novel fluorescence probe in the determination of DNA

A novel fluorimetric method has been developed for rapid determination of DNA with palmatine hydrochloride (PMT) as a fluorescence probe, based on the dramatic fluorescence enhancement of PMT in the presence of DNA. The fluorescence is produced at the physiological pH with maximum excitation and emission wavelengths at 363 and 522nm, respectively. The calibration graph is linear over the range 0-15 mug.cm(-3) for fish sperm by DNA and the corresponding detection limits is 30 ng.cm(-3). The relative standard deviation of six replicate measurements is 1.8% for 10 mug.cm(-3) Is DNA. The method is free from interference from a large number of foreign substances and is recommended for the determination of DNA in biological systems. All the reagents and reaction systems are stable and the procedure is easy to carry out. Moreover, fluorescence, viscosity measurement, potassium ferrocyanide quenching studies have been used to characterize the interaction of PMT with fs DNA.