Laser Flash Photolysis and Magnetic Field Effect Studies on the Interaction of Uracil and Its Derivatives with Menadione and 9,10-Anthraquinone

Potency of photoinduced electron transfer and antioxidant efficacy of pyrrole and pyridine based Cu(II)-Schiff complexes while binding with CT-DNA

Here we report a systematic and comparative study to define a correlation between the structure and function of a series of simple, biologically active small inorganic Schiff base copper complexes for the occurrence of charge transfer phenomenon in calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) using transient absorption spectroscopy corroborated with magnetic field effect. Four copper(II) Schiff base complexes with differently substituted heterocyclic ligands with antioxidant activity have been used. The binding constants of the order of ∼ 10(4) support the moderate binding affinity of the complexes towards CT-DNA. The methyl-substituted pyrrole complex shows maximum binding affinity (Kb: 8.33 × 10(4)) compared to others. The occurrence of photoinduced electron transfer (PET) from CT-DNA to pyrrole containing complexes has been confirmed by identifying the corresponding transient radical ions whereas the extent of PET with pyridine substituted complexes is too small to be observed. The increase of the yield of radical ions in presence of magnetic field depicts that the initial spin correlation in geminate radical ion pair is triplet. The difference between experimental and calculated B½ values, the measure of hyperfine interactions (HFI) present in the system, arises due to hole hopping through intrastrand and interstrand DNA bases. The unsubstituted pyrrole complexes cleave DNA much more than the methyl-substituted one. Therefore, the probability of intrastrand superexchange increases with methyl-substituted complexes, that reduces the rate of hole hopping and hence the B½ value.

Exploring the strength, mode, dynamics, and kinetics of binding interaction of a cationic biological photosensitizer with DNA: implication on dissociation of the drug-DNA complex via detergent sequestration

The present study aims at exploring a detailed characterization of the binding interaction of a promising cancer cell photosensitizer, harmane (HM), with DNA extracted from herring sperm. The polarity-sensitive prototropic transformation of HM, a naturally occurring, fluorescent, drug-binding alkaloid, β-carboline, is remarkably modified upon interaction with DNA and is manifested through significant modulations on the absorption and emission profiles of HM. From the series of studies undertaken in the present program, for example, absorption; steady-state emission; the effect of chaotrope (urea); iodide ion-induced steady-state fluorescence quenching; circular dichroism (CD); and helix melting from absorption spectroscopy; the mode of binding of HM into the DNA helix has been substantiated to be principally intercalative. Concomitantly, a discernible dependence of the photophysics of the DNA-bound drug on the medium ionic strength indicates that electrostatic attraction should not be ignored in the interaction. Efforts have also been delivered to delineate the dynamical aspects of the interaction, such as modulation in time-resolved fluorescence decay and rotational relaxation dynamics of the drug within the DNA environment. In view of the prospective biological applications of HM, the issue of facile dissociation of intercalated HM from the DNA helix also comprises a crucial prerequisite for the functioning as an effective therapeutic agent. In this context, our results imply that the concept of detergent-sequestered dissociation of the drug from the drug-DNA complex can be a prospective strategy through an appropriate choice of the detergent molecule. The utility of the present work resides in exploring the potential applicability of the fluorescence property of HM for studying its interactions with a relevant biological target, for example, DNA. In addition, the methods and techniques used in the present work can also be exploited to study the interaction of HM with other biological, biomimicking assemblies and drug delivery vehicles, and so forth.