DNA and bovine serum albumin protein (BSA) interaction of antitumor supramolecular nickel(II) complex: Inference for drug design

Abstract

To explore the therapeutic potential of supramolecular nickel(II) Schiff base self-assemble complexes, the Schiff base ligand (N, N′-bis(salicylidene)-1,3-diamino-2-propanol) and its Ni(II) complex [Ni₂(H₂L)₂(NCS)₂(CH₃OH)₂](CH₃OH)₂ were synthesized. Characterization by X-ray crystallography (for the complex), FT-IR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, ¹HNMR and elemental analysis (CHN) were performed. Single-crystal X-ray structure of the complex exhibited a distorted octahedral geometry in which each nickel(II) center, in the asymmetric unit, was six coordinated with three N atoms and three O atoms (from Schiff base ligand, methanol and NCS). In vitro Fish Sperm DNA (FS-DNA) and Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) binding studies of the complex employed UV–Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, viscosity measurement and molecular docking. The complex indicated a good binding propensity to BSA and was also bound to FS-DNA, preferably via intercalation. The outputs of the molecular docking study confirmed the experimental results. The complex was found to exert high anticancer activity against the gastric and prostate cancerous cells with putative selective anticancer properties. The death-induced mechanism underlying the complex is mainly related to the intercalator interactions, which may result in apoptosis-programmed cell death.