NMR investigation of phenanthridine dyes self-association in aqueous solution. Structural and thermodynamical analysis

Phenanthridine dyes have pronounced mutagenic activity due to their intercalative binding with double-helical DNA. Although the structural significance in the interacalation process of the phenanthridinium chromophore is well established, the role ofits side chains is still under discussion. The comparative analysis of complexation with DNA of phenanthridinium dyes - ethidium bormide (EB) and its two photosensitive analogues: 3-amino-8-azido-5-ethyl-6-phenyl phenanthridinium bormide (EMB) and 3,80diazido-5-ethyl-6-phenyl phenanthridinium chloride (EDC) has shown that they have different affinities of binding with nucleotide sequences in aqueous salt solution. In order to test the role of azido-groups in side chains of EB chromophore on the drug-DNA affinity, the self-association of EB and its two azido-analogues have been studied in this work by one- and two-dimensional 1H-NMR spectrosocpy. Self-association of the aromatic drug molecuels has been studied using concentration and temperature dependences of proton chemical shifts. The equilibrium reaction constants, cooperativity parameters, the limiting values of proton chemical shifts and thermodynamical parameters-enthalpy and entropy of drug self-association have been determined for all the molecular system studied.