DNA binding and anticancer activity of naphthalimides with 4-hydroxyl-alkylamine side chains at different lengths

A series of novel naphthalimide derivatives modified with various hydroxyl-alkylamines at 4-position have been synthesized. Their DNA binding properties were investigated by UV-Vis, fluoescence, and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies and thermal denaturation. The results showed that compounds 3a-e as the DNA intercalator exhibited middle binding affinities with Ct-DNA. The anticancer activities of 3a-e were preliminarily evaluated, compounds 3c and 3e exhibited potent anticancer activities against Bel-7402 cell line with IC50 values of 5.57 and 9.17 μM, respectively. More interestingly, enhancement of the fluorescence emission was found in the complexes of 3a-e with Ct-DNA, especially for 3c. This would make these compounds as potential DNA staining agents.