Diluted Aqueous DNA Solutions: Physicochemical and Biological Properties

Abstract Using a complex of physicochemical methods (dynamic and electrophoretic light scattering, UV spectroscopy, fluorescence, ORP measurement) and ecotoxicological tests, diluted aqueous solutions of salmon milt DNA (DNA-ml)—an accessible byproduct of the fishing industry with therapeutic and preventive properties—were studied. A correlation was established between the percentage of the dispersed phase with sizes in the hundreds of nanometers, non-monotonic changes in ORP and fluorescence intensity, and their effects on the population of unicellular algae and the root growth of wheat seedlings. The most pronounced inhibitory effect of DNA-ml solutions on plant bio-test objects occurs at dilution ranges where the maximum percentage of nanoassociates is observed, along with an increase in ORP values and fluorescence intensity. It was shown that diluted DNA-ml solutions have a non-monotonic harmful effect on lower crustaceans. The highest mortality of crustaceans was detected at dilutions where there is an increase in the percentage of structures sized in the thousands of nanometers and an increase in fluorescence intensity in the λem 300 nm region.