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Complexes formed between G-quadruplex (G4)-conformed oligonucleotides and four ethidium derivatives were studied by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to detail the topology of complexes that support a G4 stabilization. Ethidium bromide (EB), which presents a weak ability to stabilize oligonucleotides in G4 conformation, displayed no SERS intensity modification when bound to G4, as compared with the free EB. Three ethidium derivatives have been selected due to their higher ability to stabilize G4 than EB. Bound with G4-conformed oligonucleotides, SERS intensity of these three ethidiums decreased by factors of about 6, 3.5, and 15. The high SERS quenching was interpreted as a loss of accessibility of silver colloids for G4-bound ethidiums. This could represent a new selective parameter useful to identify G4-stabilizing molecules. To apraise the role of the oligonucleotide sequence on the interaction mode, complexes were formed with eight G4-conformed oligonucleotides in which the three loops were either 5'-TTA-3' or 5'-AAA-3'. Spectra of ethidiums were sensitive to both lateral loops, opposite to the 3' and 5' G4 ends. The sequence of these loops are believed to be selective in the interaction mode of ethidiums for G4.

The kinetics of hydrolysis of the alpha-hydroxylactone ring of anticancer agents belonging to the camptothecin (CPT) series has been followed using their fluorescence emission. Data obtained for CPT, CPT-11, and SN-38, either in their free form or in the presence of DNA and/or topoisomerase I (top1), have been compared. DNA was modeled using three types of double-strand oligonucleotides corresponding to top1 cleavage site enhanced in the presence of the drug (olg1), top1 site independent of CPT (olg2), and nonspecific synthetic oligonucleotide containing only AT and no GC base pairs (olg3). Cleavage assays indicated the absence of top1-mediated cleavage on olg3, both in the presence and in the absence of CPT. The kinetics data also showed ratio-dependent stabilization of the lactone forms of CPTs when in the presence of an excess of olg1 or olg2, but not of olg3. These observations correlate with the previously reported preferential binding of CPTs to guanines. Although lactone hydrolysis was not perturbed by top1 alone, this enzyme hindered lactone stabilization by specific oligonucleotides. After addition of top1 to CPT-olg1 or CPT-olg2 complexes, the lactone ring of the drug was destabilized. No lactone stabilization was observed when olg1 was added to CPT-top1 complexes or when olg1-top1 complexes were added to CPT.