Cyclic voltammetric studies of electron transfer reactions associated with bioactive iron–KA complexation at different biological pH

Abstract

This study explores electrochemical interactions of a pharmaceutical drug, kojic acid (5-hydroxy-2-hydroxymethyl-4 H-pyran-4-one, KA), with bioactive iron Fe(III) at different pH systems by using cyclic voltammetric technique. For this study, buffers relevant to physiological pH of blood and digestive system have been selected. Bioactive iron was found to form an electroactive complex [Fe(III)L3] in the presence of KA at all studied pH, whereas electrochemical behavior of KA was also changed by complex formation. This electrochemical investigation reveals that under the experimental conditions, [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes a diffusion controlled, one electron redox process that is quasi-reversible in nature. It was also found that [Fe(III)L3] complex undergoes coupled chemical reaction according to EC (an electron transfer reaction followed by a chemical reaction) mechanism, and this interaction is pH dependent. Modified Nicholson and Shain, Gileadi, and Kochi methods were used to determine standard heterogeneous electron transfer rate constant ( k0) of [Fe(III)L3] complex. It was found to be in the range of 10−3 to 10−5 cm/s.