Structure, magnetic properties and nuclease activity of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazonecopper(II) complexes

New complexes of formulae [Cu(HL²)(H₂O)(NO₃)](NO₃) (1), [{Cu(L¹)(tfa)}₂] (2), [{Cu(L¹)}₂(pz)](ClO₄)₂ (3) and {[{Cu(L¹)}₂(dca)](ClO₄)}_n (4), where HL¹ = pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone, HL² = pyridine-2-carbaldehyde 4N-methylthiosemicarbazone, Htfa = trifluoroacetic acid (CF₃COOH), pz = pyrazine (C₄H₄N₂) and dca = dicyanamide [N(CN)₂]⁻, have been synthesized and characterized. The crystal structures of these compounds are built up of monomers (1), dinuclear entities with the metal centers bridged through the non-thiosemicarbazone coligand (2 and 3) and 1D chains of dimers (4). In all the cases, square-pyramidal copper(II) ions are present, except for the square-planar ones in 3. Magnetic measurements show antiferromagnetic couplings in 2, 3 and 4. The susceptibility data were fitted by the Bleaney-Bowers’ equation for copper(II) dimers derived from H = -2JS₁S₂ being the obtained J/k values −4.8, −4.3 and −5.1 K for compounds 2-4, respectively. The magnetic susceptibility of the already known [{Cu(HL¹)(tfa)}₂](tfa)₂ compound has been also measured for the first time. The J/k value is -0.3 K, lower than that in 2. The nuclease activity of 3 and 4 has been analyzed.     

DNA binding and nuclease activity of copper(II) complexes of tridentate ligands

Two copper(II) complexes, 1 and 2 with L₁ and L₂ [L₁ = 2-hydroxybenzyl(2-(pyridin-2-yl)ethylamine); L₂ = 2-hydroxybenzyl(2-(pyridin-2-yl)methylamine)] ligands, respectively, have been synthesized and characterized. The interaction of both the complexes with DNA has been studied to explore their potential biological activity. The DNA binding properties of the complexes with calf thymus (CT) DNA were studied by spectroscopic titration. The complexes show binding affinity to CT DNA with binding constant (K_b) values in the order of 10⁵ M⁻¹. Thermal denaturation and circular dichroism studies suggest groove binding of the complexes to CT DNA. Complexes also exhibit strong DNA cleavage activity in presence of reducing agents like 3-mercaptopropionic acid and β-mercaptoethanol. Mechanistic studies reveal the involvement of reactive hydroxyl radicals for their DNA cleavage activity.     

Synthesis and characterization of copper(II) complexes of 4-alkyl/aryl-1,2-naphthoquinones thiosemicarbazones derivatives as potent DNA cleaving agents

Copper (II) complexes of some alkyl/aryl-1,2 naphthoquinones thiosemicarbazone have been prepared and characterized. The crystal structure determined for one of the free ligands viz. 4-Pyrrolidine-1-yl-[1, 2] naphthaquinone thiosemicarbazone (5) indicates it to crystallize in the “E’ conformation which is supported by the NMR data. The ligands and copper complexes were evaluated for their DNA cleaving activities in case of circular double stranded plasmid DNA pBR322 under aerobic conditions. Amongst the ligands, compound 8 shows almost quantitative conversion to the linearized DNA in presence of H₂O₂ oxidant. All copper conjugates show more pronounced interaction with DNA while compounds 3 and 7 are able to yield linearized DNA in presence of the oxidant.     

Biological assays and noncovalent interactions of pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazonecopper(II) drugs with [poly(dA–dT)]2, [poly(dG–dC)]2, and calf thymus DNA

The interaction of the Cu(II) drugs CuL(NO₃) and CuL′(NO₃) (HL is pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone and HL′ is pyridine-2-carbaldehyde 4N-methylthiosemicarbazone, in water named [CuL]⁺ and [CuL′]⁺) with [poly(dA–dT)]₂, [poly(dG–dC)]₂, and calf thymus (CT) DNA has been probed in aqueous solution at pH 6.0, I = 0.1 M, and T = 25 °C by absorbance, fluorescence, circular dichroism, and viscosity measurements. The results reveal that these drugs act as groove binders with [poly(dA–dT)]₂, with a site size n = 6–7, whereas they act as external binders with [poly(dG–dC)]₂ and/or CT-DNA, thus establishing overall electrostatic interaction with n = 1. The binding constants with [CuL′]⁺ were slightly larger than with [CuL]⁺. The title compounds display some cleavage activity in the presence of thiols, bringing about the rupture of the DNA strands by the reactive oxygen species formed by reoxidation of Cu(I) to Cu(II); this feature was not observed in the absence of thiols. Mutagenic assays performed both in the presence and in the absence of S9 mix, probed by the Ames test on TA 98, TA 100, and TA 102, were negative. Weak genotoxic activity was detected for [CuL]⁺ and [CuL′]⁺, with a significative dose–response effect for [CuL′]⁺, which was shown to be more cytotoxic in the Ames test and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide cell proliferation assays. Methylation of the terminal NH₂ group enhances the antiproliferative activity of the pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazones.     

Copper(II) complexes of coumarin-derived Schiff bases and their anti-Candida activity

The condensation of 7-amino-4-methyl-coumarin (1) with a number of substituted salicylaldehydes yielded a series of Schiff bases (2a–2k) in good yields. Subsequent reaction of these ligands with copper(II) acetate yielded Cu(II) complexes (3a–3k) and some were characterised using X-ray crystallography. All of the free ligands and their metal complexes were tested for their anti-Candida activity. A number of the ligands and complexes exhibited anti-Candida activity comparable to that of the commercially available antifungal drugs, ketoconazole and Amphotericin B.     

Synthesis and characterization of palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes with Schiff bases derivatives of 2-pyridincarboxyaldehyde. Study of their interaction with DNA

Several Schiff bases ligand derivatives of 2-pyridincarboxyaldehyde and different amines, together with their palladium(II) and platinum(II) complexes have been synthesised and characterised. The aim of this study is to probe the influence of substituents beared on the pyridyl/toulene ring at different position to their possible antitumor activity. The amines used were o-, m-, p-toluidine and 4-hydroxyaniline. All the compounds were characterised by elemental analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, 1H and 195Pt NMR spectroscopy and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. The formation of DNA adducts were analysed by circular dichroism and electrophoretic mobility. Atomic force microscopy images of the compounds with plasmid DNA pBR322 were also obtained. In all cases changes in the second and tertiary structure of DNA could be observed as a consequence of the covalent interaction of the palladium(II) or platinum(II) ions with the N of the nucleobases. However, there are not significant differences in the behavior of the complexes related to the position of the methyl groups or the presence of the OH group. Values of IC50 were also calculated for the platinum(II) complexes for several pairs of ovarian tumor cell lines which were either sensitive or resistant to cisplatin. Finally in vitro apoptosis studies for platinum(II) complexes with ovarian tumor cell lines A2780/A2780cisR were carried out. The results indicated interesting antiproliferative activity and significant apoptosis induction.     

Structure and characterization of platinum(II) and platinum(IV) complexes with protonated nucleobase ligands

The reaction of H₂[PtCl₆] · 6H₂O and (H₃O)[PtCl₅(H₂O)] · 2(18C6) · 6H₂O (18C6 = 18-crown-6) with 9-methylguanine (MeGua) proceeded with the protonation of MeGua forming 9-methylguaninium hexachloroplatinate(IV) dihydrate (MeGuaH)₂[PtCl₆] · 2H₂O (1).The same compound was obtained from the reaction of Na₂[PtCl₆] with (MeGuaH)Cl.On the other hand, the reaction of guanosine (Guo) with (H₃O)[PtCl₅(H₂O)] · 2(18C6) · 6H₂O in methanol at 60 °C proceeded with the cleavage of the glycosidic linkage and with ligand substitution to give a guaninium complex of platinum(IV), [PtCl₅(GuaH)] · 1.5(18C6) · H₂O (2).Within several weeks in aqueous solution a slow reduction took place yielding the analogous guaninium platinum(II) complex, [PtCl₃(GuaH)] · (18C6) · 2Me₂CO (3).H₂[PtCl₆] · 6H₂O and guanosine was found to react in water, yielding (GuoH)₂[PtCl₆] (4) and in ethanol at 50 °C, yielding [PtCl₅(GuoH)] · 3H₂O (5).Dissolution of complexes 2 and 5 in DMSO resulted in the substitution of the guaninium and guanosinium ligands, respectively, by DMSO forming [PtCl₅(DMSO)]⁻.Reactions of 1-methylcytosine (MeCyt) and cytidine (Cyd) with H₂[PtCl₆] · 6H₂O and(H₃O)[PtCl₅(H₂O)] · 2(18C6) · 6H₂O resulted in the formation of hexachloroplatinates with N3 protonated pyrimidine bases as cation (MeCytH)₂[PtCl₆] · 2H₂O (6) and (CydH)₂[PtCl₆] (7), respectively. Identities of all complexes were confirmed by ¹H, ¹³C and ¹⁹⁵Pt NMR spectroscopic investigations, revealing coordination of GuoH⁺ in complex 5 through N7 whereas GuaH⁺ in complex 3 may be coordinated through N7 or through N9. Solid state structure of hexachloroplatinate 1 exhibited base pairing of the cations yielding (MeGuaH⁺)₂, whereas in complex 6 non-base-paired MeCytH⁺ cations were found. In both complexes, a network of hydrogen bonds including the water molecules was found. X-ray diffraction analysis of complex 3 exhibited a guaninium ligand that is coordinated through N9 to platinum and protonated at N1, N3 and N7. In the crystal, these NH groups form hydrogen bonds N–HO to oxygen atoms of crown ether molecules.     

The influence of substituents (R) at N atom of thiophene-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazones {(C4H3S)HCN-N(H)-C(S)NHR} on bonding, nuclearity and H-bonded networks of copper(I) complexes

The nuclearity, bonding and H-bonded networks of copper(I) halide complexes with thiophene-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazones {(C₄H₃S)HC²N³-N(H)-C¹(S)N¹HR} are influenced by R substituents at N¹ atom. Thiophene-2-carbaldehyde-N¹-methyl thiosemicarbazone (HttscMe) or thiophene-2-carbaldehyde-N¹-ethyl thiosemicarbazone (HttscEt) have yielded halogen-bridged dinuclear complexes, [Cu₂(μ-X)₂(η¹-S-Htsc)₂(Ph₃P)₂] (Htsc, X: HttscMe, I, 1; Br, 2; Cl, 3; HttscEt, I, 4; Br, 5; Cl, 6), while thiophene-2-carbaldehyde-N¹-phenyl thiosemicarbazone (HttscPh) has yielded mononuclear complexes, [CuX(η¹-S-HttscPh)₂] (X, I, 7a; Br 8; Cl, 9) and a sulfur bridged dinuclear complex, [Cu₂(μ-S-HttscPh)₂(η¹-S-HttscPh)₂I₂] 7b co-existing with 7a in the same unit cell. These results are in contrast to S-bridged dimers [Cu₂(μ-S-Httsc)₂(η¹-Br)₂(Ph₃P)₂] · 2H₂O and [Cu₂(μ-S-Httsc)₂(η¹-Cl)₂(Ph₃P)₂] · 2CH₃CN obtained for R = H and X = Cl, Br (Httsc = thiophene-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone) as reported earlier. The intermolecular CH_Ph?π interaction in 1-3 (2.797 Å, 1; 3.264 Å, 2; 3.257 Å, 3) have formed linear polymers, whereas the CH_Ph?X and N³?HCH interactions in 4-6 (2.791, 2.69 Å, 5; 2.776, 2.745 Å, 6, respectively) have led to the formation of H-bonded 2D polymer. The PhN¹H?π, interactions (2.547 Å, 8, 2.599 Å, 9) have formed H-bonded dimers only. The Cu?Cu separations are 3.221-3.404 Å (1-6).     

Zinc(II) complexes derived from pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone and (1E)-1-pyridin-2-ylethan-1-one thiosemicarbazone. Synthesis, crystal structures and antiproliferative activity of zinc(II) complexes

The complexes [ZnCl(2)(HFoTsc)xH(2)O], [Zn(FoTsc)(2)], [ZnCl(2)(HAcTsc)xH(2)O] and [Zn(AcTsc)(2)], where HFoTsc and HAcTsc is pyridine-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone and (1E)-1-pyridin-2-ylethan-1-one thiosemicarbazone respectively, have been prepared and structurally characterized by means vibrational, and NMR ((1)H and (13)C) spectroscopy. The crystal structures of the complexes [ZnCl(2)(HFoTsc)xH(2)O], [Zn(AcTsc)(2)] and [ZnCl(2)(HAcTsc)xH(2)O] have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The metal co-ordination geometry of [ZnCl(2)(HFoTsc)xH(2)O] and [ZnCl(2)(HAcTsc)xH(2)O] is described as distorted square pyramidal and the two complexes are self-assembled via pi-->pi stacking interactions and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In these two cases molecular recognition of the hydrogen bonds leads to aggregation and a supramolecular assembly of infinite two-dimensional network. The metal co-ordination geometry of [Zn(AcTsc)(2)] is described as distorted octahedral configuration in a trans-N(2)-cis-N(1)-cis-S configuration. HFoTsc and HAcTsc and the zinc complexes have been evaluated for antiproliferative activity in vitro against the cells of two human cancer cell lines: MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell line), T24 (bladder cancer cell line) and a mouse fibroblast L-929 cell line. The cytotoxic activity shown by these compounds indicates that coupling of HFoTsc and HAcTsc to Zn(II) metal center result in metallic complexes with important biological properties since they display IC(50) values in a microM range similar to or better than that of the antitumor drug cis-platin and are considered as agents with potential antitumor activity candidates for further stages of screening in vitro and/or in vivo.     

Zn(II) and Hg(II) complexes of naphthalene based thiosemicarbazone: Structure and spectroscopic studies

Synthesis, structure and spectroscopic characterization of 2-thiophenealdehyde-N(4)-napthylthiosemicarbazone and its complexes with biologically important Zn(II) and toxic Hg(II) metal ions have been reported. The crystal structure of the complexes reveals that both are distorted tetrahedral. In the Hg(II) complex the ligand is neutral and mondented where as in Zn(II) complex the ligand is bidented and anionic. Whereas conductivity measurement study shows both the complexes are molecular species. The beautiful changes in absorption spectra along with isosbestic points upon addition of respective metal salts to the ligand solution convincingly support the formation of metal complexes in solution phase. The other spectroscopic studies also show good correlation with their solid state structures.     

Interaction of organoruthenium(II)-polypyridyl complexes with DNA and BSA

BioMetals - The interaction of four arene ruthenium complexes [(η6-p-cymene)Ru(Me2dppz)Cl]PF6 (1) with Me2dppz?=?11,12-dimethyldipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine,...     

Synthesis, crystal structure, spectral properties and cytotoxic activity of platinum(II) complexes of 2-acetyl pyridine and pyridine-2-carbaldehyde N(4)-ethyl-thiosemicarbazones

The reactions of Na2PtCl4 with pyridine-2-carbaldehyde and 2-acetyl pyridine N(4)-ethyl-thiosemicarbazones, HFo4Et and HAc4Et respectively, afforded the complexes [Pt(Fo4Et)Cl], [Pt(HFo4Et)2]Cl2, [Pt(Fo4Et)2] and [Pt(Ac4Et)Cl], [Pt(HAc4Et)2]Cl2 x 2H2O, [Pt(Ac4Et)2]. The new complexes have been characterized by elemental analyses and spectroscopic studies. The crystal structure of the complex [Pt(Ac4Et)Cl] has been solved. The anion of Ac4E coordinates in a planar conformation to the central platinum(II) through the pyridyl N, azomethine N and thiolato S atoms. Intermolecular hydrogen, non-hydrogen bonds, pi-pi and weak Pt-pi contacts lead to aggregation and a supramolecular assembly. The cytotoxic activity for the platinum(II) complexes in comparison to that of cisplatin and thiosemicarbazones was evaluated in a pair of cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer cell lines A2780 and A2780/Cp8. The platinum(II) complexes showed a cytotoxic potency in a very low micromolar range and were found able to overcome the cisplatin resistance of A2780/Cp8 cells.     

Cobalt and nickel complexes of versatile imidazole- and pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazones. Synthesis, characterisation and antimicrobial activity

Ni(II), Co(II) and Co(III) complexes of imidazole- and pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone ligands (H₂L¹ and H₂L², respectively) have been prepared. The X-ray crystal structures of [Co(L¹)(HL¹)], [Ni(H₂L¹)₂]Cl₂ · 3.5H₂O and [Ni(HL²)₂] have been solved. The Co(III) ion assumes a slightly distorted octahedral coordination geometry, involving both N₂S binding domain of di- and monoanionic ligand molecules. Whereas in [Ni(HL²)₂] the metal ion is tetracoordinated in a square planar geometry by two pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde thiosemicarbazone molecules acting as NS-donor, the spatial array of non deprotonated H₂L¹ ligand molecules in [Ni(H₂L¹)₂]Cl₂ · 3.5H₂O is equivalent to that found for [Co(L¹)(HL¹)]. The in vitro antimicrobial properties of the ligands and their complexes were tested against representative bacterial and fungal strains in broth culture. The compounds H₂L² and [Co(L²)(HL²)(H₂L²)] · 1.5H₂O exhibit a moderate inhibitory effect on the microbial proliferation and only against some Gram positive bacteria.     

DNA interaction of new copper(II) complexes with sulfonamides as ligands

New copper(II) complexes with sulfonamide ligands have been prepared and characterized. Sulfonamide ligands were prepared through a reaction between 8-aminoquinoline and either 2-mesitylene (Hqmesa), 4-tert-butylbenzene (Hqtbsa), or alpha-toluene (Halphaqtsa) sulfonyl chlorides. The structural analysis carried out for complex [Cu(alphaqtsa)(2)] indicated that the local environment of the Cu(II) cation is between a square planar and a tetrahedral geometry, with stacking of the benzene rings of the sulfonyl ligands between neighbor molecules. Powder EPR spectra at room temperature gave rhombic spectra for the [Cu(alphaqtsa)(2)] and [Cu(qmesa)(2)] complexes and an axial spectrum for the [Cu(qtbsa)(2)] complex, probably due to the steric hindrance of the methyl groups. Complexes [Cu(alphaqtsa)(2)] and [Cu(qmesa)(2)] are artificial chemical nucleases that degrade DNA in the presence of sodium ascorbate. A study of the radical scavengers revealed that the ROS (reactive oxygen species) involved in the DNA damage were hydroxyl, singlet oxygen-like species, and superoxide anion.     

Interaction of a copper(II)-Schiff base complexes with calf thymus DNA and their antimicrobial activity

The interaction of a copper complexes containing Schiff bases with calf thymus (CT) DNA was investigated by spectroscopic methods. UV-vis, fluorescence and CD spectroscopies were conducted to assess their binding ability with CT DNA. The binding constants K have been estimated from 0.8 to 9.1×10(4) M(-1). The percentage of hypochromism is found to be over 70% (from spectral titrations). The results showed that the copper(II) complexes could bind to DNA with an intercalative mode. Synergic action of Cu(II) complexes with ascorbic acid against Candida albicans induced the generation of free radicals and increased (more than 60 times) antimicrobial effect of these complexes.     

New Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes with N,S-chelated pyrazolonate ligands: molecular and supramolecular structure and preliminary study of their in vitro antitumoral activity

New Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes [ML2] (HL=a substituted 2,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1H-pyrazolone-1-carbothioamide) have been synthesized by reacting K2MCl4 (M=Pd, Pt) or Pd(OAc)2 with beta-ketoester thiosemicarbazones. The structures of seven of these complexes were determined by X-ray diffraction. Although all exhibit a distorted square-planar coordination with trans- or (in one case) cis-[MN2S2] kernels, their supramolecular arrangements vary widely from isolated molecules to 3D-networks. The in vitro antitumoral assays performed with two HL ligands and their metal complexes showed significant cytostatic activity for the latter, with the most active [ML2] derivative (a palladium complex) being about sixteen times more active than cis-DDP against the cisplatinum-resistant cell line A2780cisR.     

Synthesis, crystal structure, DNA binding and photo-induced DNA cleavage activity of (S-methyl-L-cysteine)copper(II) complexes of heterocyclic bases

Ternary S-methyl-L-cysteine (SMe-l-cys) copper(II) complexes [Cu(SMe-L-cys)(B)(H(2)O)](X) (1-4), where the heterocyclic base B is 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy, 1), 1,10-phenanthroline (phen, 2), dipyridoquinoxaline (dpq, 3) and dipyridophenazine (dppz, 4), and X is ClO(4)(-) (1-3) or NO(3)(-) (4), are prepared and their DNA binding and cleavage properties studied. Complexes 2 and 4 are structurally characterized by X-ray crystallography. Both the crystal structures show distorted square-pyramidal (4+1) CuN(3)O(2) coordination geometry of the complexes in which the N,O-donor S-methyl-L-cysteine and N,N-donor heterocyclic base bind at the basal plane with a water molecule as the axial ligand. In addition, the dppz structure shows the presence of a 1D-chain formed due to covalent linkage of the carboxylate oxygen atom belonging to another molecule at the elongated axial site. The crystal structures show chemically significant non-covalent interactions like hydrogen bonding involving the axial aqua ligand and pi-pi interactions between dppz ligands. The complexes display a d-d band in the range of 605-654 nm in aqueous dimethylformamide (DMF) solution (9:1 v/v). The redox active complexes show quasireversible cyclic voltammetric response near 0.1 V in DMF assignable to the Cu(II)/Cu(I) couple. The complexes show good binding affinity to calf thymus (CT) DNA giving the order: 4 (dppz)>3 (dpq)>2 (phen)>1 (bpy). The intrinsic binding constants, obtained from UV-visible spectroscopic studies, are 1.3x10(4) and 2.15 x 10(4) M(-1) for 3 and 4, respectively. Control DNA cleavage experiments using pUC19 supercoiled (SC) DNA and minor groove binder distamycin suggest major groove binding propensity for the dppz complex, while the phen and dpq complexes bind at the minor groove of DNA. Complexes 2-4 show DNA cleavage activity in dark in the presence of a reducing agent 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) via a mechanistic pathway involving formation of hydroxyl radical as the reactive species. The complexes also show efficient photo-induced DNA cleavage activity on irradiation with a monochromatic UV light of 365 nm in absence of any external reagent. The cleavage efficiency follows the order: 3>4>2. The complexes exhibit significant DNA cleavage activity on irradiation with visible light of 633 nm. Control experiments show inhibition of cleavage in presence of singlet oxygen quenchers like sodium azide, histidine and enhancement of cleavage in D(2)O, suggesting formation of singlet oxygen as a reactive species in a type-II process. The photosensitizing effect of the thiomethyl group of the amino acid is evidenced from the observation of significant DNA photocleavage activity of the phen complex 2 as the phen ligand itself is not a photosensitizer.     

The interaction of native DNA with Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes of 5-triethyl ammonium methyl salicylidene orto-phenylendiimine

The interaction of native calf thymus DNA with the Zn(II) and Cu(II) complexes of 5-triethyl ammonium methyl salicylidene orto-phenylendiimine (ZnL(2+) and CuL(2+)), in 1 mM Tris-HCl aqueous solutions at neutral pH, has been monitored as a function of the metal complex-DNA molar ratio by UV absorption spectrophotometry, circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results support for an intercalative interaction of both ZnL(2+) and CuL(2+) with DNA, showing CuL(2+) an affinity of approximately 10 times higher than ZnL(2+). In particular, the values of the binding constant, determined by UV spectrophotometric titration, equal to 7.3x10(4) and 1.3x10(6)M(-1), for ZnL(2+) and CuL(2+), respectively, indicate the occurrence of a marked interaction with a binding size of about 0.7 in base pairs. The temperature dependence of the absorbance at 258 nm suggests that both complexes strongly increase the DNA melting temperature (Tm) already at metal complex-DNA molar ratios equal to 0.1. As evidenced by the quenching of the fluorescence of ethidium bromide-DNA solutions in the presence of increasing amounts of metal complex, ZnL(2+) and CuL(2+) are able to displace the ethidium cation intercalated into DNA. A tight ZnL(2+)-DNA and CuL(2+)-DNA binding has been also proven by the appearance, in both metal complex-DNA solutions, of a broad induced CD band in the range 350-450 nm. In the case of the CuL(2+)-DNA system, the shape of the CD spectrum, at high CuL(2+) content, is similar to that observed for psi-DNA solutions. Such result allowed us to hypothesize that CuL(2+) induces the formation of supramolecular aggregates of DNA in aqueous solutions.     

Binding of tetrakis(pyrazoliumyl)porphyrin and its copper(II) and zinc(II) complexes to poly(dG-dC)2 and poly(dA-dT)2

Interactions of cationic porphyrins bearing five-membered rings at the meso position, meso-tetrakis(1,2-dimethylpyrazolium-4-yl)porphyrin (MPzP; M is H₂, Cu^II or Zn^II), with synthetic polynucleotides poly(dG-dC)₂ and poly(dA-dT)₂ have been characterized by viscometric, visible absorption, circular dichroisim and magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopic and melting temperature measurements. Both H₂PzP and CuPzP are intercalated into poly(dG-dC)₂ and are outside-bound to the major groove of poly(dA-dT)₂, while ZnPzP is outside-bound to the minor groove of poly(dA-dT)₂ and surprisingly is intercalated into poly(dG-dC)₂. The binding constants of the porphyrin and poly(dG-dC)₂ and poly(dA-dT)₂ are on the order of 10⁶ M⁻¹ and are comparable to those of other cationic porphyrins so far reported. The process of the binding of the porphyrin to poly(dG-dC)₂ and poly(dA-dT)₂ is exothermic and enthalpically driven for H₂PzP, whereas it is endothermic and entropically driven for CuPzP and ZnPzP. These results have revealed that the kind of the central metal ion of metalloporphyrins influences the characteristics of the binding of the porphyrins to DNA.Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary material is available for this article at and is accessible for authorized users.     

Electronic structure of platinum(II) antitumor complexes and their interactions with nucleic acid bases. I

Using the semi-empirical all-valence method (GRINDOL) (recently modified and extended to transition series elements), electronic structure and intermolecular interactions of the model antitumor Pt(II) compounds with guanine and thioguanine have been calculated. Several possible models of antitumor action of platinum compounds are discussed. It is concluded that cis-Pt(II) complexes with guanine form stable intrastrand N7N7 cross-links (but chelation to the O6 atom is also possible). The trans-isomers of platinum(II) exclusively form interstrand cross-links, but the cis-Pt(II) complexes with thioguanine form almost entirely the N7S five-membered chelates.