In situ evaluation of gemcitabine-DNA interaction using a DNA-electrochemical biosensor

Spectroscopic, electrochemical, and molecular docking studies of the interaction between the antihistamine drug desloratadine and dsDNA

Through the utilization of fluorescence spectroscopy, electrochemical, and molecular docking methods, this research investigates the interaction between the antihistamine drug desloratadine and calf thymus double-stranded DNA (ct-dsDNA). Deoxyguanosine (dGuo) and deoxyadenosine (dAdo) oxidation signals were diminished by incubation with varying concentrations of desloratadine, as determined by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). This change was ascribed to desloratadine's binding mechanism to ct-dsDNA. The binding constant (Kb) between desloratadine and ct-dsDNA was determined to be 2.2 × 105 M-1 throughout electrochemical experiments. In order to further develop our comprehension of the interaction mechanism between desloratadine and ct-dsDNA, a series of spectroscopic experiments and molecular docking simulations were conducted. The Kb value was found to be 8.85 × 104 M-1 at a temperature of 25 °C by the use of fluorescence spectroscopic techniques. In summary, the utilization of electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques, alongside molecular docking investigations, has led to the prediction that desloratadine has the capability to interact with ct-dsDNA by groove binding.

Electrochemistry as a Powerful Tool for Investigations of Antineoplastic Agents: A Comprehensive Review

Cancer is most frequently treated with antineoplastic agents (ANAs) that are hazardous to patients undergoing chemotherapy and the healthcare workers who handle ANAs in the course of their duties. All aspects related to hazardous oncological drugs illustrate that the monitoring of ANAs is essential to minimize the risks associated with these drugs. Among all analytical techniques used to test ANAs, electrochemistry holds an important position. This review, for the first time, comprehensively describes the progress done in electrochemistry of ANAs by means of a variety of bare or modified (bio)sensors over the last four decades (in the period of 1982-2021). Attention is paid not only to the development of electrochemical sensing protocols of ANAs in various biological, environmental, and pharmaceutical matrices but also to achievements of electrochemical techniques in the examination of the interactions of ANAs with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), carcinogenic cells, biomimetic membranes, peptides, and enzymes. Other aspects, including the enantiopurity studies, differentiation between single-stranded and double-stranded DNA without using any label or tag, studies on ANAs degradation, and their pharmacokinetics, by means of electrochemical techniques are also commented. Finally, concluding remarks that underline the existence of a significant niche for the basic electrochemical research that should be filled in the future are presented.

Electrochemical and theoretical studies of the interaction between anticancer drug ponatinib and dsDNA

In this study, electrochemical and theoretical studies were performed to explain the interaction mechanism between ponatinib (PNT), a third generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and dsDNA. The electrochemical part was conducted in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) at physiological pH of 7.4 and in acetate buffer with a pH of 4.7, using square wave voltammetry. A boron-doped diamond electrode was used in a bulk-incubated solution. The theoretical part was investigated using computational methods, such as the semiempirical method PM7 and density functional theory (DFT). Significant differences in the electrochemical behavior of PNT in the presence of DNA confirmed the occurrence of interactions. The results obtained in the acetate buffer strongly suggested the preferential interaction of PNT with guanine residues. However, at physiological pH, it can be concluded that PNT interacts with dGua and dAdo in the dsDNA molecule. These results are consistent with outcomes from the theoretical studies, where quantum-chemical calculations showed that both electrochemically detectable nucleobases form hydrogen bonds with the drug. These bonds appeared to be stronger with guanine than with adenine. According to the computational studies, the dsDNA major groove is the energetically preferred site for the complexation of PNT.

Electrochemical DNA biosensors developed for the monitoring of biointeractions with drugs: a review

The interaction of drugs with DNA is important for the discovery of novel drug molecules and for understanding the therapeutic effects of drugs as well as the monitoring of side effects. For this reason, many studies have been carried out to investigate the interactions of drugs with nucleic acids. In recent years, a large number of studies have been performed to electrochemically detect drug-DNA interactions. The fast, sensitive, and accurate results of electrochemical techniques have resulted in a leading role for their implementation in this field. By means of electrochemical techniques, it is possible not only to demonstrate drug-DNA interactions but also to quantitatively analyze drugs. In this context, electrochemical biosensors for drug-DNA interactions have been examined under different headings including anticancer, antiviral, antibiotic, and central nervous system drugs as well as DNA-targeted drugs. An overview of the studies related to electrochemical DNA biosensors developed for the detection of drug-DNA interactions that were reported in the last two decades in the literature is presented herein along with their applications and they are discussed together with their future perspectives.

Exploring the Inclusion Complex of an Anticancer Drug with β-Cyclodextrin for Reducing Cytotoxicity Toward the Normal Human Cell Line by an Experimental and Computational Approach

The toxicity of any drug against normal cells is a health hazard for all humans. At present, health and disease researchers from all over the world are trying to synthesize designer drugs with diminished toxicity and side effects. The purpose of the present study is to enhance the bioavailability and biocompatibility of gemcitabine (GEM) by decreasing its toxicity and reducing deamination during drug delivery by incorporating it inside the hydrophobic cavity of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) without affecting the drug ability of the parent compound (GEM). The newly synthesized inclusion complex (IC) was characterized by different physical and spectroscopic techniques, thereby confirming the successful incorporation of the GEM molecule into the nanocage of β-CD. The molecular docking study revealed the orientation of the GEM molecule into the β-CD cavity (-5.40 kcal/mol) to be stably posed for ligand binding. Photostability studies confirmed that the inclusion of GEM using β-CD could lead to better stabilization of GEM (≥96%) for further optical and clinical applications. IC (GEM-β-CD) and GEM exhibited effective antibacterial and antiproliferative activities without being metabolized in a dose-dependent manner. The CT-DNA analysis showed sufficiently strong IC (GEM-β-CD) binding (Ka = 8.1575 × 1010), and this interaction suggests that IC (GEM-β-CD) may possibly exert its biological effects by targeting nucleic acids in the host cell. The newly synthesized biologically active IC (GEM-β-CD), a derivative of GEM, has pharmaceutical development potentiality.

In situ Electrochemical Evaluation of the Interaction of dsDNA with the Proteasome Inhibitor Anticancer Drug Bortezomib

Bortezomib is an inhibitor of proteasomes and an anti-cancer drug. Although bortezomib is considered a safe drug, as confirmed by cytotoxicity assays, recent reports highlighted the possibility of interaction between bortezomib and cellular components, with detrimental long-term effects. The evaluation of the interaction between bortezomib and dsDNA was investigated in bulk solution and using a dsDNA electrochemical biosensor. The binding of bortezomib to dsDNA involved its electroactive centers and led to small morphological modifications in the dsDNA double helix, which were electrochemically identified through changes in the guanine and adenine residue oxidation peaks and confirmed by electrophoretic and spectrophotometric measurements. The redox product of bortezomib amino group oxidation was electrochemically generated in situ on the surface of the dsDNA electrochemical biosensor. The redox product of bortezomib was shown to interact primarily with guanine residues, preventing their oxidation and leading to the formation of bortezomib–guanine adducts, which was confirmed by control experiments with polyhomonucleotides electrochemical biosensors and mass spectrometry. An interaction mechanism between dsDNA and bortezomib is proposed, and the formation of the bortezomib redox product–guanine adduct explained.

DNA-Based Electrodes and Computational Approaches on the Intercalation Study of Antitumoral Drugs

The binding between anticancer drugs and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) is a key issue to understand their mechanism of action, and many chemical methods have been explored on this task. Molecular docking techniques successfully predict the affinity of small molecules into the DNA binding sites. In turn, various DNA-targeted drugs are electroactive; in this regard, their electrochemical behavior may change according to the nature and strength of interaction with DNA. A carbon paste electrode (CPE) modified with calf thymus ds-DNA (CPDE) and computational methods were used to evaluate the drug–DNA intercalation of doxorubicin (DOX), daunorubicin (DAU), idarubicin (IDA), dacarbazine (DAR), mitoxantrone (MIT), and methotrexate (MTX), aiming to evaluate eventual correlations. CPE and CPDE were immersed in pH 7 0.1 mM solutions of each drug with different incubation times. As expected, the CPDE response for all DNA-targeted drugs was higher than that of CPE, evidencing the drug–DNA interaction. A peak current increase of up to 10-fold was observed; the lowest increase was seen for MTX, and the highest increase for MIT. Although this increase in the sensitivity is certainly tied to preconcentration effects of DNA, the data did not agree entirely with docking studies, evidencing the participation of other factors, such as viscosity, interfacial electrostatic interactions, and coefficient of diffusion.

Redox Mechanism of Azathioprine and Its Interaction with DNA

The electrochemical behavior and the interaction of the immunosuppressive drug azathioprine (AZA) with deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) were investigated using voltammetric techniques, mass spectrometry (MS), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The redox mechanism of AZA on glassy carbon (GC) was investigated using cyclic and differential pulse (DP) voltammetry. It was proven that the electroactive center of AZA is the nitro group and its reduction mechanism is a diffusion-controlled process, which occurs in consecutive steps with formation of electroactive products and involves the transfer of electrons and protons. A redox mechanism was proposed and the interaction of AZA with DNA was also investigated. Morphological characterization of the DNA film on the electrode surface before and after interaction with AZA was performed using scanning electron microscopy. An electrochemical DNA biosensor was employed to study the interactions between AZA and DNA with different concentrations, incubation times, and applied potential values. It was shown that the reduction of AZA molecules bound to the DNA layer induces structural changes of the DNA double strands and oxidative damage, which were recognized through the occurrence of the 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine oxidation peak. Mass spectrometry investigation of the DNA film before and after interaction with AZA also demonstrated the formation of AZA adducts with purine bases.

What Can Electrochemical Methods Offer in Determining DNA-Drug Interactions?

The interactions of compounds with DNA have been studied since the recognition of the role of nucleic acid in organisms. The design of molecules which specifically interact with DNA sequences allows for the control of the gene expression. Determining the type and strength of such interaction is an indispensable element of pharmaceutical studies. Cognition of the therapeutic action mechanisms is particularly important for designing new drugs. Owing to their sensitivity, simplicity, and low costs, electrochemical methods are increasingly used for this type of research. Compared to other techniques, they require a small number of samples and are characterized by a high reliability. These methods can provide information about the type of interaction and the binding strength, as well as the damage caused by biologically active molecules targeting the cellular DNA. This review paper summarizes the various electrochemical approaches used for the study of the interactions between pharmaceuticals and DNA. The main focus is on the papers from the last decade, with particular attention on the voltammetric techniques. The most preferred experimental approaches, the electrode materials and the new methods of modification are presented. The data on the detection ranges, the binding modes and the binding constant values of pharmaceuticals are summarized. Both the importance of the presented research and the importance of future prospects are discussed.

DNA Electrochemical Biosensors for In Situ Probing of Pharmaceutical Drug Oxidative DNA Damage

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) electrochemical biosensors are devices that incorporate immobilized DNA as a molecular recognition element on the electrode surface, and enable probing in situ the oxidative DNA damage. A wide range of DNA electrochemical biosensor analytical and biotechnological applications in pharmacology are foreseen, due to their ability to determine in situ and in real-time the DNA interaction mechanisms with pharmaceutical drugs, as well as with their degradation products, redox reaction products, and metabolites, and due to their capacity to achieve quantitative electroanalytical evaluation of the drugs, with high sensitivity, short time of analysis, and low cost. This review presents the design and applications of label-free DNA electrochemical biosensors that use DNA direct electrochemical oxidation to detect oxidative DNA damage. The DNA electrochemical biosensor development, from the viewpoint of electrochemical and atomic force microscopy (AFM) characterization, and the bottom-up immobilization of DNA nanostructures at the electrode surface, are described. Applications of DNA electrochemical biosensors that enable the label-free detection of DNA interactions with pharmaceutical compounds, such as acridine derivatives, alkaloids, alkylating agents, alkylphosphocholines, antibiotics, antimetabolites, kinase inhibitors, immunomodulatory agents, metal complexes, nucleoside analogs, and phenolic compounds, which can be used in drug analysis and drug discovery, and may lead to future screening systems, are reviewed.

Differences in electrochemical response of prospective anticancer drugs IPBD and Cl-IPBD, doxorubicin and Vitamin C at plasmid modified glassy carbon

For the comparison of the DNA interactions with drugs, two newly synthesized prospective anticancer drugs, 6-(1H-imidazo[4,5-b]phenasine-2-yl)benzene-1,3-diol (IPBD) and, its -Cl derivative (Cl-IPBD) have been compared with doxorubicin, a drug widely used in medicine, and with Vitamin C. These compounds were accumulated at a supercoiled scpUC19 plasmid layer formed on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Stability of the drug-plasmid/GCE layer was achieved by initial plasmid accumulation using prolonged potential cycling for ca. 200 min. from highly diluted scpUC19 solutions (8 pg/mL), followed by accumulation of the drugs from 1 µM - 50 µM. Electrochemical properties in terms of the redox potentials of the compounds and capacitative/resistive characteristics of the layers have been tested using, in sequence, four voltammetric methods: Square Wave (SWV), Differential Pulse (DPV) and Alternating Current (ACV) with phase detection 0° and 90°. Importantly, with progressive drug accumulation in the plasmid, for Cl-IPBD, but not for IPBD, an increase in peak (I) at -0.42 V vs. SCE was observed, while biological tests revealed a higher cytotoxic activity for Cl-IPBD vs. IPBD. Moreover, an additional redox signal of Cl-IPBD was observed with the compound reductive accumulation at the plasmid layer in the presence of Vitamin C.