The effect of UV radiation on DNA in the presence of 1,10-phenanthroline

Abstract

When designing drugs to treat diseases like cancer, which is characterized by an abnor-mal cellular growth, targeting the DNA seems logical in order to regulate cell functions. One possible way is to find molecules that are able to intercalate with DNA, and that in the presence of UV radiation will induce specific DNA lesions. These lesions could affect processes such as DNA transcription and replication, contributing to the non-proliferation of cancer cells. On this dissertation the influence of the intercalator 1,10-phenanthroline (Phen) on DNA degradation was analyzed in the presence of UV radiation, 254 nm. The damages caused by UV radiation were studied by vacuum ultraviolet (VUV), ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The obtained results showed that the presence of water is essen-tial in order to observe the effect of UV radiation. Both DNA and Phen were degraded when exposed to UV radiation. Through FTIR characterization it was possible to conclude that de-spite the fact that Phen had a degrading effect on some DNA components, it generally had a protective effect on most of the DNA components.