Biophysical profiling and in vitro study of apocarotenoids with calf thymus DNA to explore their efficacy in adjuvant cancer therapy

Abstract

DNA is one of the important targets for therapeutic drugs. Investigating the interaction between these drug molecules and DNA yields valuable insights for the further advancement of medication formulations. In this study, we explore the interaction between calf thymus-DNA and temozolomide with apocarotenoids such as bixin and crocin, which are known for their therapeutic activities. The combinatory effect of the compounds on ct-DNA was studied through diverse spectroscopic methods including UV-visible, circular dichroism studies coupled with viscosity and cell cycle analysis. UV-visible spectroscopy evaluation indicates that apocarotenoids and the temozolomide combination display a non-intercalative binding mechanism. The circular dichroism study revealed that the interaction between DNA and apocarotenoids, as well as their combinations with temozolomide, did not present any significant alterations in the structure of DNA suggesting a possible groove binding interaction. The viscosity analyses verified that ct-DNA interacts with apocarotenoids along with their temozolomide combination through a groove-binding mechanism. This study offers a more comprehensive understanding of the potential mechanism of interaction between ct-DNA and natural compounds with the addition of temozolomide.