An insight into the interaction of phenanthridine dyes with polyriboadenylic acid: spectroscopic and thermodynamic approach

Role of hydroxyl groups in the B-ring of flavonoids in stabilization of the Hoogsteen paired third strand of Poly(U).Poly(A)*Poly(U) triplex

We have reported the interaction of two flavonoids namely quercetin (Q) and morin (M) with double stranded poly(A).poly(U) (herein after A.U) and triple stranded poly(U).poly(A)*poly(U) (herein after U.A*U, dot represents the Watson-Crick and asterisk represents Hoogsteen base pairing respectively) in this article. It has been observed that relative positions of hydroxyl groups on the B-ring of the flavonoids affect the stabilization of RNA. The double strand as well as the triple strand of RNA-polymers become more stabilized in presence of Q, however both the duplex and triplex remain unaffected in presence of M. The presence of catechol moiety on the B-ring of Q is supposed to be responsible for the stabilization. Moreover, after exploiting a series of biophysical experiments, it has been found that, triple helical RNA becomes more stabilized over its parent duplex in presence of Q. Fluorescence quenching, viscosity measurement and helix melting results establish the fact that Q binds with both forms of RNA through the mode of intercalation while M does not bind at all to either forms of RNA.

Spectroscopic and molecular docking studies on the interaction of human serum albumin with copper(II) complexes

Two osazone based ligands, butane-2,3-dione bis(2'-pyridylhydrazone) (BDBPH) and hexane-3,4-dione bis(2'-pyridylhydrazone) (HDBPH), were synthesized out of the 2:1M Schiff base condensation of 2-hydrazino pyridine respectively with 2,3-butanedione and 3,4-hexanedione. The X-ray crystal structures of both the ligands have been determined. The copper(II) complex of HDBPH has also been synthesized and structurally characterized. HDBPH and its copper(II) complex have thoroughly been characterized through various spectroscopic and analytical techniques. The X-ray crystal structure of the copper complex of HDBPH shows that it is a monomeric Cu(II) complex having 'N₄O₂' co-ordination chromophore. Interaction of human serum albumin (HSA) with these ligands and their monomeric copper(II) complexes have been studied by various spectroscopic means. The experimental findings show that the ligands as well as their copper complexes are good HSA binders. Molecular docking investigations have also been done to unravel the mode of binding of the species with HSA.

Micelle assisted structural conversion with fluorescence modulation of benzophenanthridine alkaloids

In this study we have reported the anionic surfactant (Sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) driven structural conversion of two benzophenanthridine plant alkaloids namely Chelerythrine (herein after CHL) and Sanguinarine (herein after SANG). Both the alkaloids exist in two forms: the charged iminium and the neutral alkanolamine form. The iminium form is stable at low pH (<6.5) and the alkanolamine form exists at higher pH (>10.1). The fluorescence intensity of the alkanolamine form is much stronger than the iminium form. The iminium form of both the alkaloids remains stable whereas the alkanolamine form gets converted to the iminium form in the SDS micelle environment. The iminium form possesses positive charge and it seems that electrostatic interaction between the positively charged iminium and negatively charged surfactant leads to the stabilization of the iminium form in the Stern layer of the anionic micelle. Whereas the conversion of the alkanolamine form into the iminium form takes place and that can be monitored in naked eye since the iminium form is orange in colour and the alkanolamine form has blue violet emission. Such a detail insight about the photophysical properties of the benzophenanthridine alkaloids would be a valuable addition in the field of alkaloid-surfactant interaction.

Spectroscopic study on the binding of chelerythrine with duplex poly (rA): A model of RNA intercalation

Here we have reported a detail study on the interaction of the benzophenanthridine alkaloid chelerythrine (CHL) with double stranded polyriboadenylic acid [ds poly (rA)] by exploiting various spectroscopic techniques. The alkaloid shows high binding affinity (binding constant is 1.10×10⁵M^-1) towards the double stranded RNA as revealed from Scatchard plot. The binding was confirmed by hypochromic effect in the UV-vis spectrum of CHL, increase in fluorescence intensity of CHL and perturbations of the circular dichroism (CD) spectrum of ds poly (rA). Later fluorescence quenching, cooperative CD melting transition, viscometric and molecular modeling studies establish the fact that the alkaloid binds to the ds poly (rA) by the mechanism of intercalation. Thermodynamic parameters obtained from the isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) study show that the binding is favoured by negative enthalpy and small positive entropy changes. This report may be a model for intercalation of small molecule like CHL to the double stranded RNA.

Binding of phenazinium dye safranin T to polyriboadenylic acid: spectroscopic and thermodynamic study

Here, we report results from experiments designed to explore the association of the phenazinium dye safranin T (ST, 3,7-diamino-2,8-dimethyl-5-phenylphenazinium chloride) with single and double stranded form of polyriboadenylic acid (hereafter poly-A) using several spectroscopic techniques. We demonstrate that the dye binds to single stranded polyriboadenylic acid (hereafter ss poly-A) with high affinity while it does not interact at all with the double stranded (ds) form of the polynucleotide. Fluorescence and absorption spectral studies reveal the molecular aspects of binding of ST to single stranded form of the polynucleotide. This observation is also supported by the circular dichroism study. Thermodynamic data obtained from temperature dependence of binding constant reveals that association is driven by negative enthalpy change and opposed by negative entropy change. Ferrocyanide quenching studies have shown intercalative binding of ST to ss poly-A. Experiments on viscosity measurements confirm the binding mode of the dye to be intercalative. The effect of [Na⁺] ion concentration on the binding process suggests the role of electrostatic forces in the complexation. Present studies reveal the utility of the dye in probing nucleic acid structure.

Induction of self-structure in polyriboadenylic acid by the benzophenanthridine plant alkaloid chelerythrine: a spectroscopic approach

Induction of self-structure in polyriboadenylic acid by chelerythrine.