Synthesis and biological studies of 4′, 7, 8-trihydroxy-isoflavone metal complexes

A new series of complexes of a ligand 4′, 7, 8-trihydroxy-isoflavone with transition metal (zinc, copper, manganese, nickel, cobalt) and selenium have been synthesized and characterized with the aid of elemental analysis, IR, electron ionization mass spectrum (EI-MS) and 1H NMR spectrometric techniques. The compounds were evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial activities and antitumor properties. The metal complexes were found to be more active than the free ligand. Investigation on the interaction between the complexes and calf-thymus DNA (CT DNA) showed that the absorbance of CT DNA increased and the maximum peak (λmax = 260 nm) red-shifted, while the intensity of fluorescence spectra of Epstein-Bart DNA (EB-DNA) gradually weakened, which indicated that all of these metal complexes tightly combined with CT DNA.

Graphical abstractSix complexes of isoflavone with transition metals have been synthesized and evaluated for their in vitro antibacterial and antitumor properties.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slide