Spectroscopic Evaluation of DNA–Borate Interactions

We describe the binding characteristics of two natural borates (colemanite and ulexite) to calf thymus DNA by UV–vis absorbance spectroscopy, circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and a competitive DNA binding assay. Our results suggest that colemanite and ulexite interact with calf thymus DNA under a non-intercalative mode of binding and do not alter the secondary structure of the DNA helix. The FT-IR spectroscopy results indicate that the two borates might interact with DNA through sugar-phosphate backbone binding. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.