Exploring the binding interaction of Bis-benzimidazoles with BSA and relocation of bound drug from BSA to DNA

In recent years Bis-benzimidazole derivatives have gained much research interest due to their regulatory role in biological reactions to control diseases. Therefore, probing the interaction of the bioactive derivatives with biomolecules is crucial for both physiological and pharmacological aspects. Consequently, we studied the interaction between Bis-benzimidazoles and bovine serum albumin (BSA) as model transport protein by multi-spectroscopic techniques. It was also evident that substitutions of the phenolic OH group of Hoechst-33258 by -OMe and -NEt₂ group have negligible impact on the binding phenomenon with BSA. Additionally, we have shown that the bound derivatives can be successfully relocated from serum albumin to calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA). The observed higher binding affinity of the Hoechst-33258 to ct-DNA than BSA was responsible for the relocation of dyes from BSA to DNA. The competitive displacement assay with known site markers revealed that the probable binding location of the Hoechst-33258 within the serum protein was site IB. Molecular docking study was also performed to support the experimental findings and to obtain the possible interaction of drug molecule in the protein environment. Our findings might be helpful in overcoming the challenges associated with the delivery of bis-benzimidazole derivatives.