Four nucleic acid duplexes-DNA/RNA hybrid, RNA/DNA hybrid, RNA duplex, and DNA duplex-were studied under molecular crowding conditions of osmolytes. Destabilization of duplexes (Delta Delta G degrees(25)) indicated that the Delta Delta G degrees(25) values of hybrids were intermediate between those of DNA and RNA duplexes. In the presence of polyethylene glycol 200, the Delta Delta G degrees(25) values were estimated to be +3.0, +3.5, +3.5, and +4.1 kcal mol(-1) for the DNA duplex, DNA/RNA hybrid, RNA/DNA hybrid, and RNA duplex, respectively. Differences in the number of water molecules taken up (-Delta n(w)) upon duplex formations between 0 and 37 degrees C (Delta(-Delta n(w))) were estimated to be 44.8 and 59.7 per duplex structure for the DNA/RNA and RNA/DNA hybrids, respectively. While the Delta(-Delta n(w)) value for the DNA/RNA hybrid was intermediate between those of the DNA (26.1) and RNA (59.2) duplexes, the value for RNA/DNA hybrid was close to that of RNA duplex. These differences in the thermodynamic parameters and hydration are probably a consequence of the enhanced global flexibility of the RNA/DNA hybrid structure relative to the DNA/RNA hybrid structure observed in molecular dynamics simulations. This molecular crowding study provides information not only on hydration but also on the flexibility of the conformation of nucleic acid duplexes.