A classical methodology to design free-base meso-tetra-(1pyrenyl)porphyrin (H 2 TPyrP) and their corresponding metalloporphyrins containing Zn(II), Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(III), and Mn(III) was described. These porphyrins were characterized in terms of structure, photophysical, and interactions profile with calfthymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). H 2 TPyrP exhibited five characteristic bands in the visible wavelength: Soret (432 nm) and Q-bands (520-650 nm range), while the metalloporphyrins showed some spectrum shifts according to the nature of the ion, which were also explored by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculations. The fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yield (Φ fl , Φ Δ , respectively) decreased with the presence of metal species in the porphyrin core. The porphyrins interact spontaneously via a ground-state association in the minor groove of CT-DNA following the increasing order of binding: CuTPyrP < H 2 TPyrP < CoTPyrP < MnTPyrP < NiTPyrP < ZnTPyrP, while for BSA the suitable complex geometry for Co(III) and Mn(III) complexes increased the binding capacity.