Electrochemical study of quercetin–DNA interactions: Part II. In situ sensing with DNA biosensors

Quercetin interaction with dsDNA was investigated electrochemically using two types of DNA biosensor in order to evaluate the occurrence of DNA damage caused by oxidized quercetin. The results showed that quercetin binds to dsDNA where it can undergo oxidation. The radicals formed during quercetin oxidation cause breaks of the hydrogen bonds in the dsDNA finally giving rise to 8-oxoguanine since the DNA guanosine and adenosine nucleotides in contact with the electrode surface can easily be oxidized. A mechanism for oxidized quercetin-induced damage to dsDNA immobilized onto a glassy carbon electrode surface is proposed and the formation of 8-oxoguanine is explained. The importance of DNA-electrochemical biosensors in the determination of the interaction mechanism between DNA and quercetin is clearly demonstrated.