Effect of pH on the iron autoxidation induced DNA cleavage

Fenton reaction and iron autoxidation have been debated for the major process in ROS mediated DNA cleavage. We compared both processes on iron oxidation, DNA cleavage, and cyclic voltammetric experiment at different pHs. Both oxidation reactions were preferred at basic pH condition, unlike DNA cleavage. This indicates that iron oxidation and the following steps probably occur separately. The ROS generated from autoxidation seems to be superoxide radical since sod exerted the best inhibition on DNA cleavage when H ₂O₂ was absent. In comparison of cyclic voltammograms of Fe²⁺ in NaCl solution and phosphate buffer, DNA addition to phosphate buffer induced significant change in the redox cycle of iron, indicating that iron may bind DNA as a complex with phosphate. Different pulse voltammogram in the presence of ctDNA suggest that iron ions are recyclable at acidic pH, whereas they may form an electrically stable complex with DNA at high pH condition.