Bio active mixed ligand complexes of Cu(II), Ni(II) and Zn(II): Synthesis, spectral, XRD, DNA binding and cleavage properties

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry communications 2014-02, Vol.40, p.157-163
• Main Authors: Raman, Natarajan, Mahalakshmi, Rajkumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1,10-Phenanthroline complexes; Antibacterial activity; DNA binding; DNA cleavage; Mixed ligand complexes; XRD
• ISSN: 1387-7003; 1879-0259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.inoche.2013.12.012

The paper presents the synthesis of complex combinations of Cu(II), Zn(II) and Ni(II) with Schiff bases obtained by the condensation reaction of diphenylglyoxal with 1-amino-4-nitrobenzene (L1)/1-amino-4-chlorobenzene (L2)/p-anisidine (L3) as the main ligand and 1,10-phenanthroline as the co-ligand respectively. The characterization of newly formed complexes has been done by spectral and molar conductivity studies. The bioefficacy of the ligands and their complexes have been examined against the growth of bacteria and fungi in vitro to evaluate their antimicrobial potential. The in vitro antibacterial and antifungal assay indicates that these complexes are good antimicrobial agents against various pathogens. X-ray powder diffraction illustrates that the complexes have crystalline nature. The effect of the metal complexes on DNA is carried out by pUC19 DNA agarose gel electrophoresis at 50V for 2h. The results indicate that the complexes bind to DNA through intercalation and act as efficient cleaving agents. The synthesized novel bio-active metal complexes possess a broad spectrum of activity and open the promise of finding new clinically effective antimicrobial compounds. They are good intercalators, laying the foundation for the rational design of new useful DNA probes and effective inorganic complex nucleases. [Display omitted] •Synthesis of new efficient DNA targeting diphenylglyoxal based chelates•Synthesis of excellent intercalative binders•Excellent binding behavior of Cu(II),Ni(II) and Zn(II) complexes•The complexes are superior antimicrobial agents against various pathogens.