Biophysical and Spectroscopic Techniques to Validate the Interaction with Therapeutic Targets

Metallo-drug chemotherapeutic entities interact with their biological targets, viz., nucleic acids (DNA/RNAs)or proteins by various different modes such as classical covalent as well as non-covalent reversible interactions at the molecular level. These interactions are paramount in deciphering the behavior of metal complexes in biological systems and to develop efficacious new-generation drugs having unique mechanistic pathways to provide complete cures for many chronic diseases. In the recent past, many advanced high throughput biophysical and molecular methods were developed and utilized to determine the binding mode as well as strength of metal-drug complex interactions with DNA/RNAs at the specific domains of helices, and their binding affinities. A battery of complimentary methods is generally utilized, to validate the results of the single technique employed and to envisage the binding features in solution which ultimately enhances our knowledge to understand complex-DNA binding phenomenon. In this chapter, we have described certain methods to investigate interactions of metallodrugs with the therapeutic targets using NMR, Spectrophotometric methods, Single X-ray crystal diffraction, and gel electrophoretic methods.