The thiosemicarbazide moiety is present in many organic compounds, and contributes to a wide range of pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. In this study, a series of fourteen aryl thiosemicarbazide derivatives with varying substituents were synthesized in four steps, and characterized using NMR and IR spectroscopy. The anticancer potential of the thiosemicarbazide derivatives was determined by evaluating their ability to cleave plasmid DNA in the presence of copper (II) ions, using gel electrophoresis. All the thiosemicarbazide derivatives showed DNA cleavage, with the extent of cleavage dependent on the nature of the substituent (electron-donating vs electron-withdrawing). Since reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated in the presence of copper (II) ions, the mechanism of DNA cleavage was determined by carrying out the experiments in the presence of various ROS scavengers.

Synthesis and DNA cleavage studies of substituted aryl thiosemicarbazide derivatives

ACS Spring 2022

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