Complexation and competitive interpolyelectrolyte reactions involving a poly(N-oxyethyl-4-vinylpyridinium) cation

The interaction of a poly(N-oxyethyl-4-vinylpyridinium) cation with a polymethacrylate anion and DNA in aqueous and water-salt solutions has been studied by fluorescence quenching techniques with the use of pyrenyl-labeled polycarboxylic acid and the intercalating dye ethidium bromide. The presence of an OH group in each positively charged repeating unit of the polycation affects the stability of polyelectrolyte complexes against sodium chloride in a different manner. In the case of DNA, the destabilization of complexes is insignificant in the studied pH range (5.5-9.0). As regards the polymethacrylate anion, the complexes are stabilized and the transition from neutral to weakly acidic solutions causes an appreciable stabilization of the complex owing to formation of a system of hydrogen bonds between OH groups of a polycation and COOH groups of polycarboxylic acid. Despite a much higher stability of complexes based on a weakly ionized poly(methacrylic acid) against salt, in weakly acidic solutions, polycations predominantly bind to highly charged DNA, thus indicating the prevailing role of electrostatic interactions in complexation. The results of this study can be especially useful for designing pH responsive polyelectrolyte systems based on charged biopolymers (including polysaccharides) with controlled stability in water-salt solutions.