Netropsin, a Minor Groove Binding Ligand: A Potential Radioprotective Agent

Abstract Mishra, K., Bhardwaj, R. and Chaudhury, N. K. Netropsin, a Minor Groove Binding Ligand: A Potential Radioprotective Agent. Minimizing radiation-induced damages in DNA is an important aspect in the development of chemical radioprotectors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible radioprotective ability of the DNA minor groove binding ligand netropsin in an aqueous solution of plasmid DNA (pBR322) and to compare its efficacy with that of Hoechst 33258, a known radioprotector. The radiochemical parameters D0, GSSB and DMF were calculated in pBR322 DNA. Based on a comparison of the DMFs of netropsin and Hoechst 33258, netropsin appeared to be the better radioprotector. The ligand binding site accessibility of the restriction enzyme EcoRI at the ligand-pBR322 complex was assessed using a restriction-digestion assay in irradiated solutions. A distinct ligand-bound site protection in netropsin-DNA was observed in irradiated solutions. However, no site protection was observed in the presence of...