Aryl variation and anion effect on CT-DNA binding and in vitro biological studies of pyridinyl Ag(I) complexes

Abstract

Synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of five ligands ((E)-2-((pyridin-2-ylmethylene)amino)phenol L1, 2-(pyridin-2-yl)benzo[d]thiazole L2, (E)-N-(2-fluorophenyl)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)methanimine L3, (E)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-(p-tolyl)methanimine L4 and (E)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)-N-(thiophen-2-ylmethyl)methanimine L5 along with fifteen silver(I) complexes of L1 – L5, with a general formula [AgL2]+X− (L = Schiff base and X = NO3−, ClO4− or CF3SO3−) is reported. The structures of complexes [Ag(L4)2]NO3, [Ag(L5)2]NO3, [Ag(L3)2]ClO4, [Ag(L4)2]ClO4 and [Ag(L5)2]CF3SO3 were determined unequivocally by single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Calf-thymus deoxyribonucleic acid (CT-DNA), bovine serum albumin (BSA) binding studies, antioxidant, and antibacterial studies were performed for all complexes. Complexes [Ag(L2)2]NO3, [Ag(L5)2]NO3, [Ag(L1)2]ClO4 and [Ag(L3)2]ClO4 whose ligands have an OH− and F− as substituents or with a thiophene or thiazole moiety showed better antibacterial activities with lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values compared to the standard ciprofloxacin, against most of the bacterial strains tested. Similarly, complexes [Ag(L1)2]NO3,[Ag(L2)2]NO3,[Ag(L3)2]NO3 and [Ag(L5)2]NO3 with the NO3− anion, [Ag(L1)2]ClO4 and [Ag(L2)2]ClO4 with ClO4− anion, and [Ag(L5)2]CF3SO3 with CF3SO3− anion showed higher activities for antioxidant studies. Complexes [Ag(L4)2]ClO4 and [Ag(L4)2]CF3SO3 with the Methyl substituent and CF3SO3− as the anion, displayed high antioxidant activities in FRAP (ferric reducing antioxidant power) than the standard ascorbic acid. Spectroscopic studies of all the complexes revealed their moderate to high interaction with calf thymus DNA via an intercalation mode. In addition, the relatively moderate interaction of most of the complexes with BSA was through a static quenching mechanism.