Trinuclear Ru(II) polypyridyl complexes as human telomeric quadruplex DNA stabilizers

Two new trinuclear ruthenium(II) complexes [(bpy)6Ru3(tpbip)]6+ (1) and [(bpy)6Ru3(tptaip)]6+ (2) (bpy = 2,2′-bipyridine, tpbip = 1,3,5-tris(1,10-phenanthroline-[5,6-d]imidazol-2-yl)-benzene, tptaip = 2,4,6-tri(1,10-phenanthroline-[5,6-d]imidazol-2-yl)-1,3,5-triazine) have been synthesized and characterized. The interaction of human telomeric DNA with Ru(II) complexes was explored by means of CD spectroscopy, fluorescence titration, ITC and FRET melting. Results indicated that two complexes not only induce a remarkable conformational change of human telomeric DNA, but also have the ability to stabilize the G-quadruplex.