Detection of the Effective DNA Protection by Quinazolines Using a DNA‐Based Electrochemical Biosensor

Abstract

A DNA biosensor can serve as a powerfull tool during simple in vitro tests of chemical toxicity. In this paper, damage to dsDNA attached to the surface of a screen‐printed carbon electrode by acridine orange (AO) in 5×10⁻³ M phosphate buffer solution and an effective DNA protection by selected quinazolines are described. Damage to DNA was detected using voltammetric signals of the dsDNA guanine moieties. Using the Co(III) complex with 1,10‐phenanthroline, [Co(phen)₃]³⁺, as an electrochemical DNA marker, the portion of original dsDNA that survives an incubation of the biosensor in the medium of AO and quinazolines was evaluated. The quinazoline derivatives under study were found to be very effective DNA protectors, particularly at low concentration level. The results were confirmed by microbiological tests with green seaweed, Euglena gracilis, as well as by conventional electrophoretic experiments.

On the occasion of the eightieth birthday of Professor Petr Zuman.

Keywords:

• Electrochemical DNA biosensor
• quinazolines
• DNA protection
• Euglena gracilis
• damage to DNA

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Grant Agency VEGA (No. 1/2462/05), the Ministry of Education of the Slovak Republic, (Grant No. 1/1173/04), and the Grant Agency APVT (No. 20‐015904). The authors thank Professor Libor Ebringer, Dr. Sc. and Dr. Livia Križková (Institute of Cell Biology, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia) for green seaweed, Euglena gracilis, as well as Associate Professors Katarina Špirková and Štefan Stankovský (Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava) for the quinazoline preparations.

Notes

On the occasion of the eightieth birthday of Professor Petr Zuman.