Electrochemical investigations of DNA-Intercalation potency of bisnitrophenoxy compounds with different alkyl chain lengths

In this study, the binding tendency of bisnitrophenoxy compounds (BN) having different methylene (–CH(2)–)(n) spacer groups (n = 8–11) with fish sperm double stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (dsDNA) was explored. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) was used to evaluate various kinetic and binding parameters (K(s,h), D(o), K(b) and binding site sizes). Performed electrochemical studies designated strong contact of these symmetric molecules with dsDNA in threading intercalation mode of binding. The number (n) of methylene spacer group in the molecular structure of bisnitrophenoxy compounds, e.g., BN-8 (1-nitro-4-(8-(4-nitrophenoxy)octyloxy)benzene, was observed to have a strong influence on their binding affinity. Decreased peak current values and positively shifted peak potentials recorded via cyclic voltammetry clearly depicted that bisnitrophenoxy compounds can intercalate with dsDNA. Results demonstrated the following order of binding constants; K(b) (M(−1)): BN-8 (2.32 × 10(4)) < BN-9 (5.73 × 10(4)) < BN-10 (8.97 × 10(4)) < BN-11 (17.34 × 10(4)). The order of increasing binding sites from BN-8 (0.13) to BN-11 (1.38), revealed the maximum threading intercalation strength by bisnitrophenoxy compound having the longest methylene spacer (n = 11). Thermodynamic studies augmented the strong binding of BN-11 with dsDNA as compared to BN-8 because of the long-chain, –CH(2)- spacer in its structure. The spontaneity of dsDNA-binding was revealed by the negative ΔG values for interaction of all the compounds. Moreover, binding parameters from thermodynamic and kinetic studies also corresponded to the threading intercalation mode of interaction, which itself points to the potency of the envisioned drug-like molecules.