Proflavine is also known to have a mutagenic effect on DNA by intercalating between nucleic acid base pairs.

[2] Proflavine is a fluorescent dye that is sometimes used in microscopic in-vivo imaging due to its intercalation properties.

However, there was concern that women exposed to proflavin could develop cervical cancer since they have mutagenesis potential.

al. demonstrated that there is no increased cervical cancer risk after exposure to proflavine.

[3] In astronomical spectroscopy proflavine present in interstellar clouds (derived from the modification in meteorites of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by heteroatoms) strongly absorbs in the blue region at 445 nm.