Free radical generation by ultrasound in aqueous solutions of nucleic acid bases and nucleosides: an ESR and spin-trapping study

Direct evidence for the detection of intermediate radicals of nucleic acid constituents induced by ultrasound in argon-saturated aqueous solution is presented. The method of spin trapping with 3,5-dibromo-4-nitrosobenzene sulphonate, which is a water-soluble, non-volatile, aromatic nitroso spin trap, combined with ESR, was used for the detection of sonochemically induced radicals. Spin adducts were also generated by OH radicals produced by UV photolysis of aqueous solution containing H2O2. ESR spectra observed from these photolysis experiments were identical to those after sonolysis. The ESR spectra of the spin adducts suggest that the major spin-trapped radical of thymine and thymidine was the 5-yl radical, and that of cytosine, cytidine, uracil, and uridine was the 6-yl radical. To compare the radicals induced by sonolysis and photolysis, the decay of the ESR spectra of the thymine and thymidine spin adducts was investigated. The decay curves of thymine and thymidine after sonolysis indicated biphasic decay. However, after photolysis the spin adducts from both compounds showed very little decay. These results suggest that the observed spin adducts in the sonolysis of pyrimidine bases and nucleosides were formed by OH radical and H atom addition to the 5,6 double-bond.