Electrochemical, spectroscopic and molecular docking studies of 4-methyl-5-((phenylimino)methyl)-3H- and 5-(4-fluorophenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione interacting with DNA

<p>Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and UV–Visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis) techniques were used to calculate binding parameters of 4-methyl-5-((phenylimino)methyl)-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (MPDT) and 5-(4-fluorophenyl)-3H-1,2-dithiole-3-thione (FPDT) with DNA. The results obtained from both techniques were confirmed by computational molecular docking using AutoDock molecular docking software. The anodic peak potential shift in CV indicated an intercalative mode of binding. The binding constants (M⁻¹) of the adducts MPDT-DNA and FPDT-DNA obtained from voltammetric measurements were found to be 8.0 × 10⁴ and 2.4 × 10⁴, respectively, with binding free energy being −27.99 and −25.01 KJ mol⁻¹, respectively. These results are in good agreement with those obtained from UV–Visible spectroscopic studies. The diffusion coefficients of MPDT and FPDT (2.06 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 2.42 × 10⁻⁹, respectively) were found to be higher than those of DNA-bound compounds (1.27 × 10⁻¹⁰ and 1.65 × 10⁻⁹ cm²/s, respectively). The binding free energy of MPDT and FPDT to DNA was also calculated by molecular docking study. The docking study gave excellent approximation with experimental results, shedding light on the sites of binding.</p