Effects of flexible bridging ligands on DNA-binding of dinuclear ruthenium(II)-2,2′-bipyridine complexes

DNA Damage and Apoptosis Induction in Cancer Cells by Chemically Engineered Thiolated Riboflavin Gold Nanoassembly

Herein we have engineered a smart nuclear targeting thiol-modified riboflavin-gold nano assembly, RfS@AuNPs, which accumulates selectively in the nucleus without any nuclear-targeting peptides (NLS/RGD) and shows photophysically in vitro DNA intercalation. A theoretical model using Molecular Dynamics has been developed to probe the mechanism of formation and stability as well as dynamics of the RfS@AuNPs in aqueous solution and within the DNA microenvironment. The RfS@AuNPs facilitate the binucleated cell formation that is reflected in the significant increase of DNA damage marker, γ-H2AX as well as the arrest of most of the HeLa cells at the pre-G1 phase indicating cell death. Moreover, a significant upregulation of apoptotic markers confirms that the cell death occurs through the apoptotic pathway. Analyses of the microarray gene expression of RfS@AuNPs treated HeLa cells show significant alterations in vital biological processes necessary for cell survival. Taken together, our study reports a unique nuclear targeting mechanism through targeting the riboflavin receptors, which are upregulated in cancer cells and induce apoptosis in the targeted cells.

Custom-fit ruthenium(II) metallopeptides: a new twist to DNA binding with coordination compounds

A new bipyridine building block has been used for the solid-phase synthesis of dinuclear DNA-binding ruthenium(II) metallopeptides. Detailed spectroscopic studies suggest that these compounds bind to the DNA by insertion into the DNA minor groove. Moreover, the potential of the solid-phase peptide synthesis approach is demonstrated by the straightforward synthesis of an octaarginine derivative that shows effective cellular internalization and cytotoxicity linked with strong DNA interaction, as evidenced by steady-state fluorescence spectroscopy and AFM studies.

Synthesis of glucopyranosyl Schiff base zinc(II) complexes capable of interacting with mononucleotides, and their DNA-cleavage activities

New glucopyranosyl Schiff base zinc complexes, [Zn(GlcSal)(2) ] (1; GlcSalH=N-(2-deoxy-β-D-glucopyranos-2-yl-salicylaldimine) and [Zn(AcOGlcSal)(2) ] (2; AcOGlcSalH=N-(2-deoxy-β-D-1,3,4,6-tetraacetylglucopyranos-2-yl-salicylaldimine) were synthesized, and characterized by spectral and analytical methods. The interaction between the Zn complexes and mononucleotides was investigated by (1)H-NMR, (31)P-NMR and UV/VIS spectroscopies. Mononucleotides, cytidine 5'-monophosphate (CMP) and uridyl 5'-monophosphate (UMP), interacted with these complexes to form a 1:1 complex with 1 and a 1:2 complex with 2, depending on the presence of the OH group of glucopyranosyl substituents. The DNA-cleavage activities of 1 and 2 were studied using plasmid DNA (pBR322) in a medium of 5 mM Tris·HCl/50 mM NaCl buffer in the presence of H(2)O(2). The DNA-cleavage activity decreased in the order of 2>1>Zn(OAc)(2), indicating the significant promoting effect of the glucopyranosyl Schiff base ligand and the participation of the glucopyranosyl OH groups in the cleavage mechanism. The mechanism of the DNA cleavage by 1 and 2 was investigated by evaluation of the effect of a HO· radical scavenger and a singlet-oxygen ((1)O(2)) quencher under aerobic conditions. The former exhibited little effect, excluding the HO· radical as an active species and supporting the hydrolysis mechanism for the main process of the DNA cleavage. The latter quencher somewhat hindered the cleavage, indicating the partial participation of a (1)O(2) as a competitive active species in the present system.