Cyclic Voltammetric DNA Binding Investigations on Some Anticancer Potential Metal Complexes: a Review

Cancer is developed by rapid, uncontrolled, and abnormal cell proliferation and one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide in human beings. For the remedial measures of preventing different types of cancers, one of the research domains that have gained substantial importance in medical science is the development of new metallo-drugs and their investigations as potential anticancer drug agents by using various analytical techniques. Since metal-based complexes show weak absorption bands, electrochemical methods are considered more feasible and preferable over spectroscopic methods for easy characterization. Due to closer resemblance of electrochemical and biological processes, cyclic voltammetry among different electrochemical methods is considered the most versatile for the study of in-vitro metal-based drug-DNA interactions in terms of changes in the redox activities. Current potential data of a metal complex leads to determine binding kinetics in terms of binding constant and binding site size that involve determining the binding mode of drug with DNA, i.e., electrostatic interactions, intercalation, or minor-major groove binding. Binding parameters and modes of interactions, further, help to develop the mechanism of action of drug with the DNA. In this review, we emphasize on cyclic voltammetric DNA binding studies on some metal complexes that have been carried out in the last three decades for the investigation of their anticancer potentials.