Exploring the Interaction Between Curcumin and DNA using Chitosan-Gold Composite and Ionic Liquid Modified Disposable Electrodes

A combination of chitosan (CHIT), gold composite, and ionic liquid (IL) modification was employed to construct novel pencil graphite electrodes (PGE) for the electrochemical investigation of curcumin-nucleic acid interaction. The electrochemical behaviour of these CHIT-Au-IL modified electrodes (CHIT-Au-IL-PGEs) was evaluated using techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Additionally, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was utilized to analyse the surface morphology and structural features of the electrodes. Optimization studies on the interaction between curcumin and nucleic acids were conducted using electrochemical techniques. DNA concentration and immobilization time on the CHIT-Au-IL-PGE surface were optimized using cyclic voltammetry (CV), while curcumin concentration was investigated through differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The detection limit for curcumin was determined to be 0.29 µg/mL (0.78 µM). The curcumin-DNA interaction was further analysed at varying time intervals using EIS. The proposed electrochemical method is efficient, user-friendly, and rapid, providing a promising tool for screening small molecule interactions with DNA.