Dinuclear silver(I) complexes with phthalazine: DNA/BSA binding and in vivo toxicity study

The present study reports the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of dinuclear silver(I) complexes, {[Ag(X-O)(phtz-N)]2(µ-phtz-N,N')2} (X = NO3 - (Ag1) and CF3SO3 - (Ag2), and phtz is phthalazine). The interaction of these two complexes with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) was investigated to assess their binding affinity to these biomolecules. The binding constants of complexes Ag1 and Ag2 to BSA are found to be higher than those for ct-DNA, being in accordance with their higher affinity toward the studied protein. The values of partition coefficient (logP) for the investigated complexes indicate higher cellular uptake efficiency of Ag1 than Ag2. The in vivo toxicity of the complexes Ag1 and Ag2 against the model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans, was studied to check their therapeutic potential.