Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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IN VITRO STUDIES REGARDING THE INTERACTIONS OF SOME NOVEL RUTHENIUM (III) COMPLEXES WITH DOUBLE STRANDED CALF THYMUS DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA)

ANDREEA LETIŢIA ARSENE1, VALENTINA UIVAROSI2, NICULINA MITREA3, CRISTINA MANUELA DRĂGOI3*, ALINA CRENGUŢA NICOLAE3

1.Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ”Carol Davila”, 6, Traian Vuia Str, sector 2, Bucharest, Romania
2.Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ”Carol Davila”, 6, Traian Vuia Str, sector 2, Bucharest, Romania
3.Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy ”Carol Davila”, 6, Traian Vuia Str, sector 2, Bucharest, Romania

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Following the success of cisplatin, several metal complexes other than platinum have been considered over the years as possible alternatives to cisplatin; particularly it was found that ruthenium (III) compounds possess antitumour and antimetastatic activities. The literature studies revealed the affinity of these complexes for crucial biomolecules like DNA and provide evidence for formation of stable adducts therewith. The current paper presents the DNA-binding properties of some ruthenium (III) complexes with quinolones and dimethylsulfoxide, with the general formula RuCl3L2(DMSO)m·nH2O (L: pipemidic acid (pip), m = 1, n = 2 (Ru-pip); L: enoxacin (enx), m = 1, n = 0 (Ru-enx); L: norfloxacin (nf), m = 1, n = 1 (Ru-nf); L: ciprofloxacin (cp), m = 2, n = 2 (Ru-cp); L: enrofloxacin (enro), m = 0.5, n = 1 (Ru-enro); L: ofloxacin (of), m = 1, n = 1(Ru-of); L: levofloxacin (levof), m = 2, n = 8 (Ru-levof); DMSO: dimethylsulfoxide). In this regard we investigated, in vitro, the interaction of these complexes with double stranded calf thymus DNA through competitive binding studies with ethidium bromide, using fluorescence assays. For all complexes, a quenching in fluorescence of DNA-ethidium bromide complex was observed, suggesting a possible DNA intercalative binding.