Synthesis, crystal structure, DNA binding, cleavage and cytotxicity, antimicrobial activity of new copper(II) complex with L-ornithine and 1,10-phenanthroline

ABSTRACT

A new copper(II) complex, [Cu(phen)(L-orn)(NO₃)](NO₃).2(H₂O) (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline, L-orn = L-ornithine), has been synthesized and structurally characterized by elemental analyses, IR, UV-visible and single-crystal XRD techniques. The complex crystallized in a monoclinic system with space group P21, a = 10.561(5) Å, b = 6.927(5) Å, c = 15.510(5) Å, α = 90.000(5)°, β = 106.827(5)°, and γ = 90.000(5)°. The complex shows a distorted square-pyramidal (4+1) CuN₃O₂ coordination sphere. The binding interaction of the present complex with calf-thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was investigated and proposed partial intercalation binding mode by UV-Vis, fluorescence, cyclic voltammetry, and viscometric techniques. The efficient cleavage activity of the complex on plasmid DNA by complex was observed from gel electrophoresis technique. The complex exhibited potent cytotoxic effects against human cell line (HepG2) and it was found to have good antibacterial and antifungal activities.

KEYWORDS:

• Copper(II) complex
• cytotoxicity
• DNA binding
• DNA cleavage
• L-ornithine

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to IIT Madras, Chennai, India, for providing instrumental facilities such as IR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, emission spectroscopy, and TGA.