Interaction between azo dye Acid Red 14 and pepsin by multispectral methods and docking studies

The interaction of synthetic azo dye Acid Red 14 with pepsin was studied by fluorescence spectroscopy, UV–vis spectroscopy, circular dichroism and molecular docking. Results from the fluorescence spectroscopy show that Acid Red 14 has a strong capability to quench the intrinsic fluorescence of pepsin with static quenching. Binding constant, number of the binding sites and thermodynamic parameters were measured at different temperatures. The result indicates that Acid Red 14 interact with pepsin spontaneously by hydrogen bonding and van der Waals interactions. Three‐dimensional fluorescence spectra and circular dichroism spectra reveal that Acid Red 14 could slightly change the structure of pepsin. The hydrogen bond is formed between Acid Red 14 and Tyr‐189 and Thr‐218 residues of pepsin. Furthermore, the binding between Acid Red 14 and pepsin inhibits pepsin activity. The study can provide a way to analyze the biological safety of Acid Red 14 on digestive proteases or other proteins.