Investigation of DNA binding and antibacterial properties of a Zn(II) Complex with an N2OS Salophen-type Ligand

Abstract

The platinum-based medication now used in chemotherapy has serious side effects, which has led to a lot of research into finding new coordination molecules with anticancer properties. To discover a new coordination complex, an unsymmetrical N₂OS Salophen-type ligand was created. ZnCl₂ and ligand were combined in a 1:1 molar ratio to yield the new Zn(II) complex. To analyze the synthesized ligand and Zn(II) complex, a variety of spectroscopic methods were employed, including NMR, UV–Vis, mass spectrometry, IR, and elemental analysis. The stability of the Zn(II) complex was also revealed by analyzing several electronic properties of its optimized structure using Density Functional Theory (DFT). As indicated by the molar conductance value the existence of chlorine as a counter ion to stabilize the complex suggests that the synthesized Zn(II) complex was electrolytic in nature. The interaction between Zn(II) complex and DNA has been studied using CT-DNA. The techniques employed in the study of DNA interaction included absorption, fluorescence, thermal denaturation, viscosity etc. All the methods confirmed that the Zn(II) complex exhibited excellent DNA binding. The ligand and Zn(II) complex's biological impact was also anticipated using SwissADME analysis. An in vitro antibacterial activity of the ligand (L2) and Zn(II) complex was conducted using strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli. Molecular docking studies were used to further support the earlier finding.