Synthesis, DNA/HSA Interaction Spectroscopic Studies and In Vitro Cytotoxicity of a New Mixed Ligand Cu(II) Complex

A new mixed ligand copper(II)-dipeptide complex with 2-(2'-pyridyl)benzothiazole (pbt), [Cu(Gly-L-leu)(pbt)(H2O)]·ClO4 (Gly-L-leu = Glycyl-L-leucine anion) was synthesized and characterized by various physico-chemical means. The DNA binding and cleavage properties of the complex investigated by viscosity, agarose gel electrophoresis and multi-spectroscopic techniques (UV, circular dichroism (CD) and fluorescence) showed that the complex was bound to CT-DNA through intercalation mode with moderate binding constant (K b = 3.132 × 10(4) M(-1)), and cleaved pBR322 DNA efficiently (~ 5 μM) in the presence of Vc, probably via an oxidative mechanism induced by •OH. Additionally, the interaction of the complex with human serum albumin (HSA) was explored by UV-visible, CD, fluorescence, synchronous fluorescence and 3D fluorescence spectroscopy. The complex exhibits desired affinity to HSA through hydrophobic interaction. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of the complex against three human carcinoma cell lines (HeLa, HepG2 and A549) was evaluated by MTT assay, which showed that the complex had effective cytotoxicity and higher inhibition toward A549 cell lines with IC50 of 38.0 ± 3.2 μM.