Synthesis, characterization and DNA binding of magnesium–ciprofloxacin (cfH) complex [Mg(cf)2] · 2.5H2O

Interactions of the tested systems (title compound [Mg(cf)2] · 2.5H2O (1), ciprofloxacin (cfH) and ciprofloxacin in the mixture with MgCl2), with single and double stranded calf thymus DNA, poly[d(AT)] · poly[d(AT)] and poly[d(GC)] · poly[d(GC)] were studied by UV-spectrophotometric (melting curves) and fluorescence emission measurements. Pronounced quenching of ciprofloxacin’s fluorescence intensity has been observed for all the tested compounds after titration with various GC containing DNA molecules. It seems probable that quenching originates in the electron transfer from guanine to the photo-excited fluoroquinolone. The UV-spectrophotometric results obtained for 1 are substantially different from the other solutions and the biggest differences were observed for GC containing DNAs. Solution of 1 provokes a large thermal destabilization of poly[d(GC)] · poly[d(GC)]. This process is irreversible which suggests that the species present in solution of 1 alone inhibit re-annealing by associating irreversibly with the single strands. We have realized that aqueous solutions of 1 are colloidal and we propose that colloidal particles are involved in specific binding to GC containing sequences, most probably in the major groove of DNA.