Voltammetric studies of the interaction of lumazine with cyclodextrins and DNA

The interaction of lumazine, an antibacterial drug, with alpha-, beta-cyclodextrins and DNA in aqueous solution was studied by differential pulse stripping voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry as well as UV-vis spectroscopy. The electrochemical and absorption spectral data indicated a 1:1 complex formation of lumazine with alpha-, beta-cyclodextrins and DNA. The nature of the process, taking place at the hanging mercury drop electrode, was clarified. It was found that the complexation of lumazine molecules enhances the stacking interactions which might facilitate the formation of a perpendicularly stacked layer of lumazine-alpha-cyclodextrin complex on the electrode surface. Based on the variations in the current or absorbance, the formation constants and consequently, the Gibbs energy of these complexes were determined. The small size cavity of alpha-cyclodextrin was found to have a greater affinity for lumazine than the beta-cyclodextrin. Moreover, the interactions of lumazine-alpha-cyclodextrin or lumazine-beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex with DNA have been investigated by means of voltammetry. The results suggest that lumazine displayed high affinity for DNA and the inclusion complex decomposed when it binds to DNA.