Copper-metformin ternary complexes: Thermal, photochemosensitivity and molecular docking studies

Area of Science:

• Coordination Chemistry
• Materials Science
• Biophysical Chemistry

Background:

• Metformin is a widely used anti-diabetic drug.
• Copper complexes have shown potential in medicinal applications, including DNA interaction.
• Understanding metal-ligand interactions is crucial for developing new therapeutic agents.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize novel copper(II) metformin complexes with ortho-phenanthroline, ethylenediamine, and ortho-phenylenediamine.
• To investigate the thermal stability and DNA binding interactions of these synthesized complexes.
• To evaluate the DNA cleavage activity and binding modes of the copper(II) complexes.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization using LC-MS, elemental analysis, IR, UV-Vis, magnetic moment, and XRD.
• Thermal analysis (Coats-Redfern method) to determine decomposition kinetics and stability.
• Spectroscopic (UV-Vis, fluorescence) and viscosity measurements to study DNA binding.
• Molecular docking studies with a B-DNA sequence.

Main Results:

• Three copper(II) complexes with octahedral geometry were successfully synthesized and characterized.
• Complexes demonstrated significant thermal stability with non-spontaneous decomposition processes.
• Complexes interacted with CT DNA via groove binding, showing hyperchromism and varying binding constants (Kb) and quenching constants (Ksq).
• DNA cleavage activity followed the order: complex 1 > complex 3 > complex 2.

Conclusions:

• The synthesized copper(II) metformin complexes are thermally stable and capable of interacting with DNA.
• The binding mechanism is primarily groove binding, with varying affinities and DNA cleavage efficiencies.
• These findings suggest potential applications of these complexes in DNA-targeting therapies.