Supramolecular self-assembly, DNA interaction, antibacterial and cell viability studies of Cu(II) and Ni(II) complexes derived from NNN donor Schiff base ligand

Abstract

In the present study, synthesis of two complexes, namely [Cu(L)Cl2] (1) and [Ni(L)Cl(H2O)2)]Cl (2), where L = piperidin-2-yl-N-(1-(pyridin-2-yl) ethylidene)methanamine were reported along with their characterization by spectroscopic techniques. The crystal structures were elucidated by single crystal X-ray diffraction technique. The structures of the complexes showed square pyramidal geometry for Cu(II) and octahedral geometry for Ni(II) centers. Different characterization techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy, viscosity measurements and fluorescence spectroscopy were used to study the binding interaction of complex 1 and 2 with Calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA). The result reflected that both the complexes were able to exhibit DNA binding potential by intercalation pathway. Study of antibacterial activity using the bacterial strain E. coli showed that only complex 1 exhibited antibacterial property. Besides, metal, ligand and its complexes were evaluated individually for cell viability studies through MTT assay of HeLa cells. It is observed that cell viability increases with time for all the systems illustrating biocompatible nature of metals, ligands and their complexes. Among the complexes 1 and 2, complex 1 is suitable for higher cell viability.