Efficient DNA Cleavage Research Articles

Chelating behavior and biocidal efficiency of tryptophan based mixed-ligand complexes

A new family of tryptophan based mixed-ligand complexes has been synthesized and characterized. DNA (Calf thymus) binding properties of the complexes have been explored by UV–vis, viscosity measurements and cyclic voltammetry. All the experimental evidence suggest that the ancillary ligand 2,2′-bipyridine influences the intercalative binding of these complexes to CT DNA. The DNA cleavage efficiencies of these complexes with pBR322 DNA were investigated by gel electrophoresis. The complexes were found to promote the cleavage of pBR322 DNA from the supercoiled form I to the open circular form II in the presence of an oxidizing agent (H2O2). Microbial property of these complexes as antibacterial agents has been investigated against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Probing the DNA-binding behavior of tryptophan incorporating mixed-ligand complexes

Mixed-ligand Cu(II), Ni(II), Co(II), and Zn(II) complexes using a tryptophan-derived Schiff base (obtained by the condensation of tryptophan and benzaldehyde) as the primary ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline as the co-ligand were synthesized and characterized analytically and spectroscopically by performing elemental analyses, magnetic susceptibility and molar conductance measurements, UV-Vis, IR, NMR, and FAB-MS. The binding properties of metal complexes with DNA were investigated by electronic absorption spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and by performing viscosity measurements, and the results showed that these complexes have the ability to interact with DNA via an intercalative mode. The DNA cleavage efficiencies of these complexes with pUC19 DNA were investigated by gel electrophoresis. The complexes were found to promote the cleavage of pUC19 DNA from the supercoiled form I to the open circular form II and the linear form III in the presence of ascorbic acid. Finally, the in vitro antibacterial activities of the Schiff base and its mixed-ligand metal complexes were screened against the bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella typhi. The antibacterial screening data revealed that the complexes show growth inhibitory activity against bacteria.

DNA cleavage behavior of a new p-xylyl spaced bisCu(BPA)Cl2 complex: the steric effect of a bulky p-xylyl-derived spacer

The different DNA cleavage behaviors of 1,3- and 1,4-xylylene spaced bisCu(BPA)Cl2 complexes (BPA, bis(pyridyl-2-methyl)amine) display the positioning effect of xylylene spacers, implying the essential roles of spacers in the related cleavage (Y. Zhao et al., Chem.–Eur. J., 2006, 12, 6621–6629). Herein, a p-xylyl derivative (2,1,3-benzoxadiazole-4,7-dimethylene (BDDM)) was utilized as a bulky spacer to construct a new p-xylyl spaced bisCu(BPA)Cl2 complex 1 to explore the spacer's steric effect on the related DNA cleavage. Agarose gel electrophoresis demonstrated that complex 1 is able to convert the supercoiled plasmid pUC19 DNA into the nicked DNA and linear DNA in the presence of excessive reductant. This DNA cleavage behavior is different from that of simple p-xylylene spaced Cu2(pTPXA)Cl4, which mediates only the nicked DNA and random DNA fragments. The DNA binding ability of complex 1 is higher than that of Cu2(pTPXA)Cl4, while its DNA nicking ability is lower than that of Cu(BPA)Cl2, as well as the dinuclear Cu2(pTPXA)Cl4, which displays a high DNA nicking efficiency due to the internuclear synergy in activating O2 to damage DNA. The linear DNA formation induced by complex 1 is realized via a non-random double-stranded scission process. The temporal profiles of the nicked DNA and linear DNA in the presence of 8 μM complex 1 imply that the two sequential neighboring breaks in the complementary strands lead to the formation of linear DNA. With the DNA cleavage behavior in the presence of different reactive oxygen species (ROS) quenchers, the DNA-bound hydroxyl radical was proposed as the main ROS involved in the cleavage. Structural optimization of this complex disclosed its larger intramolecular Cu–Cu distance than Cu2(pTPXA)Cl4, which may disfavor the internuclear synergic O2 activation. It was also proposed that the bulky BDDM spacer favors the two spaced copper centers function solely to damage in situ the two adjacent deoxyriboses from complementary strands to form the linear DNA, and the specific DNA binding mode of complex 1 due to the BDDM spacer disfavors the DNA-bound ROS to abstract a proton from deoxyribose and results in a lower DNA cleavage efficiency than mononuclear Cu(BPA)Cl2. The non-random linear DNA mediating ability and the decreased DNA cleavage efficiency caused by the bulky internuclear spacer shown in the current study provides a new alternative to regulate the DNA cleavage behavior of polycopper artificial nucleases via spacer modification.

Hybrids of amino acids and acetylenic DNA-photocleavers: optimising efficiency and selectivity for cancer phototherapy

Hybrid agents which combine potent DNA-photocleavers with tunable amino acids or small peptides were designed to improve selectivity of Nature's most potent class of antibiotics towards cancer cells. The ability of these compounds to photocleave DNA is controlled by their incorporation into hybrid architectures with functional elements derived from natural amino acids. These conjugates are highly effective at inducing double-strand DNA cleavage and, in some cases, rival or even surpass both naturally occurring DNA cleavers and anticancer agents that are currently in clinical use. The possibility of triggering their activity in a photochemical and pH-sensitive fashion allows for a high degree of selectivity over activation. The conjugates were shown to penetrate cell membranes and induce efficient intracellular DNA cleavage. Initial in vitro tests against a variety of cancer cell lines confirm the potential of these compounds as anticancer agents at low nanomolar concentrations.

Type III restriction endonuclease EcoP15I is a heterotrimeric complex containing one Res subunit with several DNA-binding regions and ATPase activity

For efficient DNA cleavage, the Type III restriction endonuclease EcoP15I communicates with two inversely oriented recognition sites in an ATP-dependent process. EcoP15I consists of methylation (Mod) and restriction (Res) subunits forming a multifunctional enzyme complex able to methylate or to cleave DNA. In this study, we determined by different analytical methods that EcoP15I contains a single Res subunit in a Mod2Res stoichiometry. The Res subunit comprises a translocase (Tr) domain carrying functional motifs of superfamily 2 helicases and an endonuclease domain with a PD..D/EXK motif. We show that the isolated Tr domain retains ATP-hydrolyzing activity and binds single- and double-stranded DNA in a sequence-independent manner. To localize the regions of DNA binding, we screened peptide arrays representing the entire Res sequence for their ability to interact with DNA. We discovered four DNA-binding regions in the Tr domain and two DNA-binding regions in the endonuclease domain. Modelling of the Tr domain shows that these multiple DNA-binding regions are located on the surface, free to interact with DNA. Interestingly, the positions of the DNA-binding regions are conserved among other Type III restriction endonucleases.

Synthesis, DNA-binding, photocleavage, cytotoxicity, and apoptosis studies of ruthenium(II) complexes containing 3,6-dimethyldipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine

Two new ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complexes, [Ru(bpy)2(DMDPPZ)](ClO4)2 (1) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, DMDPPZ = 3,6-dimethyldipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine) and [Ru(dmb)2(DMDPPZ)](ClO4)2 (2) (dmb = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine), have been synthesized and their DNA-binding, photoinduced DNA cleavage, and cell cytotoxicity are studied. The complexes show good binding to calf thymus DNA in the order: 1 > 2. Both complexes exhibit efficient DNA cleavage upon irradiation via a mechanistic pathway involving formation of singlet oxygen as the reactive species. The cytotoxic activity of 1 and 2 was tested by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. These complexes effectively inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells. The antioxidant activity against hydroxyl radical (•OH) was also explored.

A copper(II) complex of the Schiff base from l-valine and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthalidene plus 1,10-phenanthroline: synthesis, crystal structure, and DNA interaction

A new Cu(II) complex, [Cu(naph-val)phen] (naph-val = Schiff base derived from 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde and l-valine, phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), has been synthesized and characterized by physicochemical methods. The crystal structure of the complex showed that there are four independent molecular structures in the crystallographic asymmetric unit, and each of them shows a distorted square-pyramidal CuN3O2 coordination geometry. In the crystal, the π − π stacking and intermolecular hydrogen bonds form a 2D network. The interactions between the Cu(II) complex and calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) have been studied by spectroscopic methods, as well as viscosity and thermal denaturation measurements. The results indicate that the Cu(II) complex binds to CT-DNA in an intercalative mode. The cleavage reaction on pBR322 plasmid DNA has been investigated by agarose gel electrophoresis in the absence and presence of mercaptopropionic acid. The Cu(II) complex exhibits an efficient DNA cleavage activity.

A copper(II) complex of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane featuring acetate pendant: an efficient DNA cleavage agent

A new water-soluble copper(II) complex, Cu(TACNA)Br · 0.375H2O (1) [TACNA = 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N-acetate], has been synthesized to serve as artificial nucleases. The X-ray crystal structure of 1 indicates that one bromide and an oxygen from acetate pendant coordinate to copper(II) in addition to the nitrogen atoms in the TACN macrocycle, resulting in a five-coordinate complex with square-pyramidal geometry. The interaction of 1 with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) has been investigated by UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, and the mode of ct-DNA binding for 1 has been proposed. In the absence of external agents, supercoiled plasmid DNA cleavage by 1 was performed under aerobic condition; the influences on DNA cleavage of different complex concentrations and reaction times were also studied. The cleavage of plasmid DNA likely involves oxidative mechanism.

Engineering pH-Gated Transitions for Selective and Efficient Double-Strand DNA Photocleavage in Hypoxic Tumors

We describe a family of hybrid compounds for the most efficient light-activated double-strand (ds) DNA cleavage known to date. This family represents the second generation of "switchable" molecular systems for pH-gated ds DNA-cleavage which combine a potent DNA-photocleaver and a pH-regulated part derived from a dipeptide. Design of the pH-switchable part utilizes amino groups of different basicity. Whereas the basic amino groups are protonated throughout the biologically relevant pH range, the pH-gating amines undergo protonation at the pH threshold which separates cancer and normal cells. Control over the reactivity and selectivity is achieved via transformation of the initial protonation state (a monocation or a dication) into a trication at the acidic pH. This change leads to an extraordinary increase in the efficiency of ds DNA cleavage leading to the ds:ss ratios comparable with the most efficient nonenzymatic ds DNA cleavers. Statistical analysis reveals that these high ds:ss ratios result from the combination of several factors: (a) true double-stranded cleavage, and (b) conversion of single-stranded (ss)-scission into ds cleavage. Considerable part of ds cleavage is also produced via the combination of ss cleavage events.

De novo design, synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of chiral benzimidazole-derived amino acid Zn(II) complexes: Development of tryptophan-derived specific hydrolytic DNA artificial nuclease agent

Novel ternary dizinc(II) complexes 1– 3, derived from 1,2-bis(1H-benzimidazol-2-yl)ethane-1,2-diol and l-form of amino acids (viz., tryptophan, leucine and valine) were synthesized and characterized by spectroscopic (IR, 1H NMR, UV–vis, ESI-MS) and other analytical methods. To evaluate the biological preference of chiral drugs for inherently chiral target DNA, interaction of 1– 3 with calf thymus DNA in Tris–HCl buffer was studied by various biophysical techniques which reveal that all these complexes bind to CT DNA non-covalently via electrostatic interaction. The higher K b value of l-tryptophan complex 1 suggested greater DNA binding propensity. Further, to evaluate the mode of action at the molecular level, interaction studies of complexes 1 and 2 with nucleotides (5′-GMP and 5′-TMP) were carried out by UV–vis titrations, 1H and 31P NMR which implicates the preferential selectivity of these complexes to N3 of thymine rather than N7 of guanine. Furthermore, complex 1 exhibits efficient DNA cleavage with supercoiled pBR322. The complex 1 cleaves DNA efficiently involving hydrolytic cleavage pathway. Such chiral synthetic hydrolytic nucleases with asymmetric centers are gaining considerable attention owing to their importance in biotechnology and drug design, in particular to cleave DNA with sequence selectivity different from that of the natural enzymes.

A novel TALE nuclease scaffold enables high genome editing activity in combination with low toxicity

Sequence-specific nucleases represent valuable tools for precision genome engineering. Traditionally, zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) and meganucleases have been used to specifically edit complex genomes. Recently, the DNA binding domains of transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) from the bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas have been harnessed to direct nuclease domains to desired genomic loci. In this study, we tested a panel of truncation variants based on the TALE protein AvrBs4 to identify TALE nucleases (TALENs) with high DNA cleavage activity. The most favorable parameters for efficient DNA cleavage were determined in vitro and in cellular reporter assays. TALENs were designed to disrupt an EGFP marker gene and the human loci CCR5 and IL2RG. Gene editing was achieved in up to 45% of transfected cells. A side-by-side comparison with ZFNs showed similar gene disruption activities by TALENs but significantly reduced nuclease-associated cytotoxicities. Moreover, the CCR5-specific TALEN revealed only minimal off-target activity at the CCR2 locus as compared to the corresponding ZFN, suggesting that the TALEN platform enables the design of nucleases with single-nucleotide specificity. The combination of high nuclease activity with reduced cytotoxicity and the simple design process marks TALENs as a key technology platform for targeted modifications of complex genomes.

DNA Cleavage Activity of Fe(II)N4Py under Photo Irradiation in the Presence of 1,8-Naphthalimide and 9-Aminoacridine: Unexpected Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species Scavengers

The DNA cleavage activity of the iron(II) complex of the ligand N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)-N-bis(2-pyridyl)methylamine (N4Py) was investigated in the presence of the chromophores 1,8-naphthalimide (NI) and 9-aminoacridine (AA) under photo irradiation at 355 and 400.8 nm and compared to the activity of the complex without the chromophores. Whereas in most cases no synergistic effect of the added chromophores on DNA cleavage efficiency was observed, it was found that for Fe(II)N4Py, in combination with NI under irradiation at 355 nm, the DNA cleavage activity was increased. Surprisingly, it was found that the addition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavengers gave rise to significantly increased DNA cleavage efficiency, which is a highly counterintuitive observation since ROS are needed to achieve DNA cleavage. A hypothesis is put forward to explain, at least partly, these results. It is proposed that the addition of scavengers inhibits quenching of (3)NI*, thus making photo-induced electron transfer between (3)NI* and Fe(III)N4Py more efficient. This results in reduction of Fe(III)N4Py to Fe(II)N4Py, which can then react with ROS giving rise to DNA cleavage. Hence the role of the scavengers is to maintain a close to optimal concentration of ROS. The present study serves as an illustration of the care that needs to be exercised in interpreting the results of experiments using standard ROS scavengers, since especially in complex systems such as presented here they can give rise to unexpected phenomena. In the presence of 1,8-naphthalimide or 9-aminoacridine, ROS scavengers can increase the DNA cleavage efficiency of Fe(II)N4Py complex under photo irradiation.

Synthesis, characterization and DNA-binding and DNA-photocleavage studies of two Ru(II) complexes containing two main ligands and one ancillary ligand

DNA-binding and DNA-photocleavage properties of two Ru(II) complexes, [Ru(L 1)(dppz) 2](PF 6) 4 ( 1) and [Ru(L 2)(dppz) 2](PF 6) 4 ( 2) (L 1 = 5,5′-di(1-(triethylammonio)methyl)-2,2′-dipyridyl cation; L 2 = 5,5′-di(1-(tributylammonio)methyl)-2,2′-dipyridyl cation; dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2′,3′-c]phenazine, have been investigated. Experimental results show that the DNA-binding affinity of complex 1 is greater than that of 2, both complexes emit luminescence in aqueous solution, either alone or in the presence of DNA, complex 1 can bind to DNA in an intercalative mode while 2 most likely interacts with DNA in a partial intercalation fashion, and complex 2 serves as a better candidate for enantioselective binding to CT-DNA compared with 1. Moreover, complex 1 reveals higher efficient DNA cleavage activity than 2, during which supercoiled DNA is converted to nicked DNA with both complexes. Theoretical calculations for the two complexes have been carried out applying the density functional theory (DFT) method at the level of the B3LYP/LanL2DZ basis set. The calculated results can reasonably explain the obtained experimental trends in the DNA-binding affinities and binding constants ( K b) of these complexes.

Dicopper(II) complexes showing DNA hydrolase activity and monomeric adduct formation with bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate

Ferromagnetic dicopper(II) complexes [Cu2(μ-O2CCH3)(μ-OH)(L)2(μ-L1)](PF6)2, where L=1,10-phenanthroline (phen), L1=H2O in 1 and L=dipyrido[3,2-d:2′,3′-f]quinoxaline (dpq), L1=CH3CN in 2, are prepared and structurally characterized. Crystals of 1 and 2 belong to the monoclinic space group of P21/n and P21/m, respectively. The copper(II) centers display distorted square-pyramidal geometry having a phenanthroline base and two oxygen atoms of the bridging hydroxo and acetate group in the basal plane. The fifth coordination site has weak axially bound bridging solvent molecule H2O in 1 and CH3CN in 2. The Cu···Cu distances are 3.034 and 3.046Å in 1 and 2, respectively. The complexes show efficient hydrolytic cleavage of supercoiled pUC19 DNA as evidenced from the mechanistic studies that include T4 DNA ligase experiments. The binuclear complexes form monomeric copper(II) adducts [Cu(L)2(BNPP)](PF6) (L=phen, 3; dpq, 4) with bis(4-nitrophenyl)phosphate (BNPP) as a model phosphodiester. The crystal structures of 3 and 4 reveal distorted trigonal bipyramidal geometry in which BNPP binds through the oxygen atom of the phosphate. The kinetic data of the DNA cleavage reactions of the binuclear complexes under pseudo- and true-Michaelis–Menten conditions indicate remarkable enhancement in the DNA hydrolysis rate in comparison to the control data.

Copper-mediated nuclease activity of jadomycin B

The natural product jadomycin B, isolated from Streptomyces venezeulae ISP5230, has been found to cleave DNA in the presence of Cu(II) ions without the requirement for an external reducing agent. The efficiency of DNA cleavage was probed using supercoiled plasmid DNA in buffered solution as a model environment. EC 50 and t 1/2 values for cleavage were 1.7 μM and 0.75 h, respectively, and varied ±5% with the particular batch of plasmid and jadomycin employed. While UV–vis spectroscopy indicates that the cleavage event does not involve direct binding of jadomycin B to DNA, a stoichiometric Cu(II) preference for optimum cleavage suggests a weak binding interaction between jadomycin B and Cu(II) in the presence of DNA. The Cu(II)-mediated cleavage is greatly enhanced by UV light, which implicates the jadomycin B radical cation and Cu(I) as potential intermediates in DNA cleavage. Evidence in favor of this hypothesis was derived from a mechanistic assay which showed reduced cleavage as a function of added catalase and EDTA, scavengers of H 2O 2 and Cu(II), respectively. Thus, jadomycin B may serve as a source of electrons for Cu(II) reduction, producing Cu(I) which reacts with H 2O 2 to form hydroxyl radicals that cause DNA strand scission. In addition, scavengers of hydroxyl radicals and superoxide also display inhibitory effects, underscoring the ability of jadomycin B to produce a powerful arsenal of deleterious oxygen species when copper is present.

Efficient Plasmid DNA Cleavage by Copper(II) Complexes of 1,4,7-Triazacyclononane Ligands Featuring Xylyl-Linked Guanidinium Groups

Three new metal-coordinating ligands, L(1), L(2), and L(3), have been prepared by appending o-, m-, and p-xylylguanidine pendants, respectively, to one of the nitrogen atoms of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane (tacn). The copper(II) complexes of these ligands are able to accelerate cleavage of the P-O bonds within the model phosphodiesters bis(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate (BNPP) and [2-(hydroxypropyl)-p-nitrophenyl]phosphate (HPNPP), as well as supercoiled pBR 322 plasmid DNA. Their reactivity toward BNPP and HPNPP is not significantly different from that of the nonguanidinylated analogues, [Cu(tacn)(OH(2))(2)](2+) and [Cu(1-benzyl-tacn)(OH(2))(2)](2+), but they cleave plasmid DNA at considerably faster rates than either of these two complexes. The complex of L(1), [Cu(L(1)H(+))(OH(2))(2)](3+), is the most active of the series, cleaving the supercoiled plasmid DNA (form I) to the relaxed circular form (form II) with a k(obs) value of (2.7 ± 0.3) × 10(-4) s(-1), which corresponds to a rate enhancement of 22- and 12-fold compared to those of [Cu(tacn)(OH(2))(2)](2+) and [Cu(1-benzyl-tacn)(OH(2))(2)](2+), respectively. Because of the relatively fast rate of plasmid DNA cleavage, an observed rate constant of (1.2 ± 0.5) × 10(-5) s(-1) for cleavage of form II DNA to form III was also able to be determined. The X-ray crystal structures of the copper(II) complexes of L(1) and L(3) show that the distorted square-pyramidal copper(II) coordination sphere is occupied by three nitrogen atoms from the tacn ring and two chloride ions. In both complexes, the protonated guanidinium pendants extend away from the metal and form hydrogen bonds with solvent molecules and counterions present in the crystal lattice. In the complex of L(1), the distance between the guanidinium group and the copper(II) center is similar to that separating the adjacent phosphodiester groups in DNA (ca. 6 Å). The overall geometry of the complex is also such that if the guanidinium group were to form charge-assisted hydrogen-bonding interactions with a phosphodiester group, a metal-bound hydroxide would be well-positioned to affect the nucleophilic attack on the neighboring phosphodiester linkage. The enhanced reactivity of the complex of L(1) at neutral pH appears to also be, in part, due to the relatively low pK(a) of 6.4 for one of the coordinated water molecules.

DNA Binding and Photocleavage Study of Cationic Metalloporphyrins by Spectral Methods

ABSTRACT The DNA binding and photocleavage specificities of the Zn(II), Cu(II), Co(III), Mn(III) complexes of 5,10,15-tris(1-methylpyridinium-4-yl)-20-(4-propionoxyphenyl)porphyrin have been studied by using a combination of absorption, fluorescence titration, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), induced circular dichroism (ICD) spectroscopy, thermal DNA denaturation as well as gel electrophoresis experiment. It is found that Cu(II) porphyrin has comparable binding ability with the free base porphyrin while the axial-coordinated Zn(II), Co(III), and Mn(III) porphyrins have lower Kb because of the molecular steric hindrance. However, those metalloporphyrins with lower Kb have similar DNA cleavage efficiencies with the free base porphyrin. This could be best understood by the enhancement of the 1O2 productivity which may also result from the steric hindrance of the axial-coordinated metalloporphyrins.

Study on potential antitumor mechanism of a novel Schiff Base copper(II) complex: Synthesis, crystal structure, DNA binding, cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction activity

A new cytotoxic copper(II) complex with Schiff base ligand [CuII(5-Cl-pap)(OAc)(H2O)]·2H2O (1) (5-Cl-pap=N-2-pyridiylmethylidene-2-hydroxy-5-chloro-phenylamine), was synthesized and structurally characterized by X-ray diffraction. Single-crystal analysis revealed that the copper atom shows a 4+1 pyramidal coordination, a water oxygen appears in the apical position, and three of the basal positions are occupied by the NNO tridentate ligand and the fourth by an acetate oxygen. The interaction of Schiff base copper(II) complex 1 with DNA was investigated by UV–visible spectra, fluorescence spectra and agarose gel electrophoresis. The apparent binding constant (Kapp) value of 6.40×105M−1 for 1 with DNA suggests moderate intercalative binding mode. This copper(II) complex displayed efficient oxidative cleavage of supercoiled DNA, which might indicate that the underlying mechanism involve hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen-like species, and hydrogen peroxide as reactive oxygen species. In addition, our present work showed the antitumor effect of 1 on cell cycle and apoptosis. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that HeLa cells were arrested in the S phase after treatment with 1. Fluorescence microscopic observation indicated that complex 1 can induce apoptosis of HeLa cells, whose process was mediated by intrinsic mitochondrial apoptotic pathway owing to the activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3.

DNA binding, prominent DNA cleavage and efficient anticancer activities of Tris(diimine)iron(ii) complexes

The complexes rac-[Fe(diimine)(3)](ClO(4))(2)1-4, where diimine = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) 1, 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) 2, 5,6-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (5,6-dmp) 3 and dipyrido[3,2-d:2',3'-f]quinoxaline (dpq) 4, have been isolated, characterized and their interaction with calf thymus DNA studied by using a host of physical methods. The X-ray crystal structure of rac-[Fe(5,6-dmp)(3)](ClO(4))(2)3 has been determined and the packing diagram shows the presence of two enantiomeric forms of the complex cations in the same unit cell. The structures of 1-4 in solution have also been studied using UV-Visible, Cyclic Voltammetry and ESI-MS data and all data available suggests that they retain their solid state structures even in solution. The absorption spectral titrations of the iron(ii) complexes with CT DNA reveal that the DNA binding affinities of the complexes vary in the order, 4 (K(b): 9.0 × 10(3)) > 2 (6.8 × 10(3)) > 3 (4. 8 × 10(3)) > 1 (2.9 × 10(3) M(-1)). The DNA interaction of dpq complex (4) involves partial insertion of the extended phen ring in between the DNA base pairs, which is deeper than that of phen (2). The 5,6-dmp (3) complex is involved in groove binding in the major groove of DNA. The lower DNA binding affinity of 1 is due to electrostatic interaction of the cationic complexes with exterior phosphates of DNA. The EthBr displacement assay and DNA viscosity study support these DNA binding modes and the above trend in DNA binding affinities. The complexes of 1 and 2 show induced CD (ICD) upon interaction with CT DNA while 3 and 4 bound to DNA exhibit inversion in the positive band with the helicity band showing very small changes, which implies that 3 and 4 bind enantiopreferentially to DNA. The DNA cleavage abilities of 1-4 have been observed at 10 μM concentration of complexes in the presence of 100 μM H(2)O(2) and the DNA cleavage efficiency (> 90%) follows the order 3 > 1 > 2 > 4. The anticancer activity of 1-4 against human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) has also been studied. The IC(50) values of the complexes at different incubation time intervals of 24 and 48 h follow the order, 3 (0.8, 0.6) < 4 (20.0, 17.0) < 2 (28.0, 22.0) < 1 (32.0, 29.0 μM). Interestingly, 3 exhibits anticancer activity more potent than 1, 2 and 4 and cisplatin for both 24 and 48 h. It induces cell death both through apoptosis and necrosis mechanisms, as revealed by morphological assessment data obtained by using AO/EB and Hoechst 33258 fluorescence staining methods.

Efficient double-strand cleavage of DNA mediated by Zn(ii)-based artificial nucleases

Two water-soluble zinc complexes, [Zn(L)Cl(2)] (1) and [Zn(2)(L)(2)(μ-C(2)O(4))(H(2)O)(2)]·(ClO(4))(2)·CH(3)OH (2) (L = N,N-bis(2-pyridylmethyl)methylamine), were prepared to serve as nuclease mimics. The complexes were characterized by X-ray, IR and UV-vis spectroscopy as well as ESI-MS. The electrospray mass spectrum of 2 in solution indicates that dinuclear ion [Zn(2)(L)(2)(μ-C(2)O(4))(ClO(4))](+) (3) is the active species. UV-Vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy studies show that the complexes partially intercalate to CT-DNA. In the absence of reducing agent, supercoiled plasmid DNA cleavage by the complexes 1 and 3 was performed and the hydrolytic mechanism was demonstrated by adding standard radical scavengers.