Intercalation of a flavonoid, silibinin into DNA base pairs: Experimental and theoretical approach

Polyphenols are secondary plant metabolites, which have received much attention because of their potential health benefits. Silibinin (SIL) is a well-known naturally occurring flavonolignan, which is extensively used in treating a wide variety of diseases as a dietary supplement as well as a prescribed drug. The mechanism of binding of SIL to calf thymus DNA (ctDNA) was investigated by employing multispectroscopic techniques, viz., absorption, fluorescence, and circular dichroism besides viscosity measurements and docking studies. Analysis of fluorescence results indicated that SIL has interacted with ctDNA and quenched its intensity through static quenching mechanism. The binding constant at room temperature was found to be 2.48×10⁴ mol^-1 , suggesting moderate binding affinity between SIL and ctDNA. The hypochromicity observed in the absorption spectra of ctDNA in the presence of SIL revealed the intercalation of SIL into ctDNA base pairs. Further, the intercalative mode of binding between SIL and ctDNA was confirmed by viscosity measurements and molecular docking studies. The outcome of present study helps to decipher the interaction mechanism between SIL and DNA at physiological pH, which further assists in the design of a new analogue for better therapeutic effects.