文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Electron Transfer from Graphene Quantum Dots to the Copper Complex Enhances Its Nuclease Activity

作者：Zheng, Bin[1];Wang, Chong[1];Xin, Xiaozhen[1];Liu, Fei[1];Zhou, Xuejiao[2];Zhang, Jingyan[1];Guo, Shouwu[2]

机构：[1]E China Univ Sci & Technol, Shanghai Key Lab New Drug Design, Sch Pharm, State Key Lab Bioreactor Engn, Shanghai 200237, Peoples R China;[2]Shanghai Jiao Tong Univ, Res Inst Micro Nano Sci & Technol, Key Lab Thin Film & Microfabricat, Minist Educ, Shanghai 200240, Peoples R China

年份：2014

卷号：118

期号：14

起止页码：7637

外文期刊名：JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C

收录：;EI(收录号：20141617599927);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:000334571700045)】；

基金：This research was carried out with financial support from the National Science Foundation of China (nos. 90923041 and 31070742), the State Key Laboratory of Bioreactor Engineering (No. 2060204), 111 Project (No. B07023), the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality (no. 12 nm0503500), and National "863 Program" of China (no. 2012AA022603).

语种：英文

外文关键词：Metal complexes - DNA - Nanocrystals - Biocompatibility - Coordination reactions - Copper compounds - Metal ions - Semiconductor quantum dots - Spectroscopic analysis - DNA sequences - Electron transitions - Free radical reactions

摘要：We previously reported that graphene oxide could enhance nuclease activity of copper complex containing aromatic ligands, thus exhibit the potential for applications in anticancer therapy. However, the functional mechanism of graphene oxide is not well understood. In this work, using graphene quantum dots (GQDs), which have smaller lateral size, better biocompatibility, and a conjugate state higher than that of graphene oxide, we investigated systematically the mechanism of GQDs in enhancing nuclease activity of copper complexes. Through a variety of spectroscopic methods, we found that GQDs promote the reduction of copper ions and accelerate their reaction with OD forming superoxide anions and copper-centered radicals. These active species then oxidize DNA molecules. The improvement in the reduction of copper complexes can be attributed to the coordination of the GQDs to the copper center of the complex, leading to an efficient electron-transfer from the electron-rich GQDs to the copper complexes. The fundamental understanding of the role of the GQDs in DNA cleavage by the transition complexes is promising for the discovery of anticancer therapeutics. More importantly, unique and rich three-dimensional structures of metal complexes also make it possible to prepare highly active DNA cleavage reagents with a high selectivity for DNA sequences and structures.