Effect of Cu(II) compound containing dipicolinic acid on DNA damage: a study of antiproliferative activity and DNA interaction properties by spectroscopic, molecular docking and molecular dynamics approaches

A polymeric compound formulized as [Cu(µ-dipic)₂{Na₂(µ-H₂O)₄]_n.2nH₂O (I), where dipic is 2,6-pyridine dicarboxylic acid (dipicolinic acid, H₂dipic), was synthesized by sonochemical irradiation. The initial in-vitro cytotoxic activity of this complex compared with renowned anticancer drugs like cisplatin, versus HCT116 colon cell lines, shows promising results. This study investigated the interaction mode between compound (I) and calf-thymus DNA utilizing a range of analytical techniques including spectrophotometry, fluorimetry, partition coefficient analysis, viscometry, gel electrophoresis and molecular docking technique. The results obtained from experimental methods reveal complex (I) could bind to CT-DNA via hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces and the theoretical methods support it. Also, complex (I) indicates nuclease activity in the attendance of H₂O₂ and can act as an artificial nuclease to cleave DNA with high efficiency.

Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma