Heteroassociation of the antitumor antibiotic daunomycin (DAU) with flavin mononucleotide (FMN) has been investigated by one-and two-dimensional 1H NMR spectroscopy (500 MHz) in a water solution to determine the molecular mechanism of the combined action of the antibiotic and vitamin in the FMN-DAU system. The equilibrium constants of the reactions, induced proton chemical shifts, and thermodynamic parameters (ΔH, ΔS) of heteroassociation were determined from the concentration and temperature dependences of the proton chemical shifts in the interacting aromatic molecules. Analysis of the results indicate that heterocomplexes of riboflavin mononucleotide and daunomycin are formed due to stacking interactions between aromatic chromophores. The most probable spatial structure of the 1:1 DAU-FMN heterocomplex was determined by the molecular dynamics method using the X-PLOR program and the results of the analysis of the induced proton chemical shifts in molecules. Calculation of the relative content of self-and hetero-complexes of daunomycin for different values of the ratio (r) between the concentrations of flavin mononucleotide and daunomycin demonstrated that for r > 3, the contribution of DAU-FMN heterocomplexes to the equilibrium distribution of associates in aqueous solution is dominant. It is concluded that the aromatic molecules of vitamins, in particular, riboflavin, can form energetically strong heteroassociates with antitumor antibiotics in water solution and can thereby affect their medical and biological activity.
