Acridine-based macrocycles as potential probes for studies of the structures of nucleic acids

The possibility of the use of bis- and tris-acridine macrocycles as photoactivated reagents, which are sensitive to the DNA and RNA secondary structures, was examined. The bis- and tris-acridine macrocycles can induce photomodification (in the case of DNA) and photocleavage (in the case of RNA). Both processes occur predominantly at the purine residues located in loops or at the junction of the RNA and DNA hairpins.