Abstract
Hypericin is a potential agent which can be prospectively utilized in photodynamic therapy of cancer. The main goal of this contribution is an investigation of its influence on a structure of calf thymus DNA.
The binding constant and interaction mode of a drug/DNA complex have been determined by spectrophotometric methods and denaturation processes. Model compound of hypericin, emodin, was considered to our study for its structural similarity with hypericin molecule.
The binding constant values of the drugs hypericin and emodin lead us to assumption that these molecules do not bind into DNA structure by intercalative mode of interaction. The emodin influence on denaturation of DNA macromolecule points to the groove binding mode of interaction and the incorporation of the drug takes place probably into DNA minor groove by hydrophobic or hydrogen interactions.
Considering binding characteristics of the emodin as a model compound of hypericin we can suppose that hypericin binds into the DNA major groove.