Release of DNA from surfactant complexes induced by 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin

Decompaction of DNA–CTA self-assembled complexes by 2-hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (2-HP-β-CD) was studied and the results were compared with β-CD. Different degrees of 2-HP substitution (0.6, 0.8 and 1.0, respectively) were used and the decompaction was successful with all degrees of substitution. Fluorescence microscopy, steady state fluorescence spectroscopy, density and sound velocity measurements, thermal melting and circular dichroism were used. Compared to previous work using α- and β-CD, the fluorescence spectroscopy results showed that the 2-HP-substituted CDs more efficiently released DNA into solution. Furthermore, dissociation of macroscopically phase separated DNA–CTA complexes was achieved upon addition of 2-HP-β-CD and the results gave strong indications on the non-equilibrium nature of the system. The globule-to-coil transition was not found to proceed through a coexistence region, which seems to be a general phenomenon in DNA decompaction using CDs.