Transition metal complexes of 2, 6-di ((phenazonyl-4-imino) methyl)-4-methylphenol: structure and biological evaluation.

A symmetric ligand 2, 6-di ((phenazonyl-4-imino)methyl)-4-methylphenol (Dpmp) and its cobalt dinuclear complex (Co2(Dpmp)2(NO3)2(H2O)2·NO3·EtOH, (1) and zinc mononuclear complex Zn(Dpmp)(NO3)2, (2) have been prepared. The crystal structures were determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The biological activity has been evaluated by examining their anti-oxidative activity and ability to bind to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and calf-thymus DNA (CT DNA) with UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, viscosity measurements and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies. The complexes exhibit good binding propensity to BSA and CT DNA. Both 1 and 2 have been found to promote cleavage of pUC19 DNA in the absence of any reducing agent. Antioxidant tests in vitro show the compounds possess significant antioxidant activity against superoxide and hydroxyl radicals.