Voltammetry of the interaction of metronidazole with DNA and its analytical applications

Voltammetric methods were used to probe the interaction of antimicrobial drug metronidazole (MTZ) with calf thymus DNA. Binding constants (K) and binding site sizes (s) were determined from the voltammetric data, i.e., shifts in potential and changes in limiting current with the addition of DNA. MTZ showed appreciable electrostatic binding to DNA in solution with K=2.2(+/- 1.3) x 10(4) M(-1) and s=0.34 bp. One reduction peak of MTZ at the bare glassy carbon electrode (GCE) split into two peaks at the DNA modified GCE (DNA/GCE). These changes in the cyclic voltammogram can only be due to the interaction of MTZ with the surface-confined DNA. In addition, the peak current of MTZ at the DNA/GCE was nearly 8-fold of the response at the bare GCE. The low detection limit of 2.0 x 10(-8) M made the DNA/GCE a promising biosensor for MTZ determination. And this method was successfully applied with high precision and accuracy compared with spectroscopic methods (relative error < 6%) for estimation of the total MTZ drug content in pharmaceutical dosage forms.