Spectroscopic studies on the interaction of quercetin-terbium(III) complex with calf thymus DNA.

The interaction of native calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) with quercetin-terbium(III) [Q-Tb(III)] complex at physiological pH was monitored by UV absorption spectrophotometry, circular dichroism, fluorescence spectroscopy, and viscosimetric techniques. The complex displays binding properties to the CT-DNA and was found to interact with CT-DNA through outside binding, demonstrated by a hypochromic effect of Q-Tb(III) on the UV spectra of CT-DNA and the calculated association constants (K). Also, decrease in the specific viscosity of CT-DNA, decrease in the fluorescence intensity of Q-Tb(III) solutions in the presence of increasing amounts of CT-DNA, and detectable changes in the circular dichroism spectrum of CT-DNA are other evidences to indicate that Q-Tb(III) complex interact with CT-DNA through outside binding.