A copper(II) complex of 1,4,7-triazacyclononane featuring acetate pendant: an efficient DNA cleavage agent

A new water-soluble copper(II) complex, Cu(TACNA)Br center dot 0.375H(2)O (1) [TACNA 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-N-acetate], has been synthesized to serve as artificial nucleases. The X-ray crystal structure of 1 indicates that one bromide and an oxygen from acetate pendant coordinate to copper(II) in addition to the nitrogen atoms in the TACN macrocycle, resulting in a five-coordinate complex with square-pyramidal geometry. The interaction of 1 with calf thymus DNA (ct-DNA) has been investigated by UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies, and the mode of ct-DNA binding for 1 has been proposed. In the absence of external agents, supercoiled plasmid DNA cleavage by 1 was performed under aerobic condition; the influences on DNA cleavage of different complex concentrations and reaction times were also studied. The cleavage of plasmid DNA likely involves oxidative mechanism.