Explorations on Antioxidant, Enzyme Inhibitory, and Calf Thymus DNA Interaction Studies of Dioxomolybdenum(VI) Organo Complexes

Since time immemorial, it has been well established that reactive oxygen species play a key role in the pathogenesis of various cancer types and metabolic diseases like diabetes. Hence, the control of free radical generation is considered one of the viable strategies to combat the onset of diabetes and cancer progression. In this context, we have synthesized and characterized two salen-type ligands and their corresponding dioxomolybdenum(VI) complexes. The complexes are evaluated for antioxidant efficacy, α-amylase inhibitory potential, DNA-binding ability, and cytotoxicity studies. The optimized geometry of the complexes based on electron density distributions of the frontier molecular orbitals is ascertained using DFT studies. The DPPH and H₂O₂ assays show comparable antioxidant efficacies for both the complexes, comparable to that of the standard. Similarly, the complexes show comparable α-amylase inhibitory activities, showcasing higher activity than acarbose. Furthermore, the DNA interaction study reveals a higher binding affinity for ligand 2 and complex 2 as observed by their binding constant values. The ligands and the complexes have shown a hyperchromic effect, indicating preferential binding to the grooves of the double helix of DNA. The MTT assay against MCF-7 cancer cell lines reveals that complex 1 shows an excellent cytotoxic effect, higher than cisplatin.