Recent advances on the DNA interaction properties of Schiff bases and their metal complexes

Abstract

Cancer has become the second leading reason for death in the world. Cell biology states that the bulk of anti‐cancer medications focuses on DNA. A study of how complexes of metals interact with DNA is crucial in creation of the effective chemotherapy drugs. The interactions of DNA with Schiff base and their metal complexes are a thrust area for many researchers, and many papers have reported on them. An amino molecule reacts with carbonyl group to form a variety of chemicals called Schiff bases. Many studies have shown that Schiff bases have compounds that affect biological processes. Due to their potential use as novel reagents for biotechnology and medicine, the research of interactions between transition metal complexes and nucleic acids has grown significantly during the past few decades. It was shown that several metal Schiff base complexes may intercalate DNA. Small molecules can attach themselves to DNA through different ways, such as intercalation and groove binding. The main method to measure nuclease activity was gel electrophoresis, and the ligand alone had much lower activity than the complex. To set the stage for this analysis, a brief overview of Schiff bases and their complexes is provided. Further, this review provides an overview of the DNA interactions brought forth by Schiff base metal complexes. It also draws attention to new developments in the study of Schiff bases and their metal complexes and their prospective use as a bioactive core for DNA cleavage and binding.