In vitro DNA binding, pBR322 cleavage and molecular docking studies of 1,2-diaminobenzene, dichloro glycyl glycinate tin(IV) and zirconium(IV) complexes

Abstract

De novo design and synthesis of complexes 1,2-diaminobenzene, dichloro glycyl glycinate tin(IV) and zirconium(IV), 1 and 2 as molecular drug entities were carried out. The structure elucidation of 1 and 2 was done by analytical techniques and spectroscopic methods viz. IR, UV–vis, ¹H, ¹³C, ¹¹⁹Sn NMR, ESI–Mass and XRD techniques. In vitro DNA binding studies of 1 and 2 by various biophysical techniques viz electronic absorption, emission spectroscopy and circular dichroism measurements were carried out to evaluate their potential to act as chemotherapeutic candidates; furthermore, cleavage studies with pBR322plasmid DNA and computer-aided molecular docking studies were also done to study the mechanistic pathway and mode of binding at the molecular level. The observed results revealed that complex 1 exhibited greater DNA binding propensity in contrast to complex 2 primarily via electrostatic binding mode. The pBR322 DNA cleavage studies of both the complexes revealed the hydrolytic cleavage mechanism and DNA minor groove binding, which was ascertained by molecular docking studies of the drug candidate.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma

Keywords:

• Sn(IV) and Zr(IV) glycyl glycine complexes
• DNA binding profile
• pBR322cleavage
• molecular docking

Acknowledgements

The authors are highly indebted to the Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility, Panjab University, Chandigarh, for NMR and ESI–Mass facility; STIC, Cochin for providing elemental analysis. Thanks are also due to Dr. Rizwan H. Khan, Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, AMU, Aligarh for providing the CD facility.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.