Electrochemical cleavage of DNA in the presence of copper–sulfosalicylic acid complex

Electrochemical cleavage of DNA in the presence of copper–sulfosalicylic acid [Cu(ssal)22+] complex was studied. The cleavage was observed in a certain potential region where redox cycling of Cu(ssal)22+/Cu(ssal)2+ took place. Cu(ssal)22+ complex mediate generation of reactive oxygen species from O2 by the Fenton reaction, these radicals are capable of damaging DNA. The cleaved DNA fragments were separated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experimental results indicated that the method for electrochemical cleavage of DNA by Cu(ssal)22+ complex was simple and efficient.