Platinum(II) complexes with dipyridophenazine ligands as human telomerase inhibitors and luminescent probes for G-quadruplex DNA.

A series of platinum(II) complexes containing dipyridophenazine (dppz) and C-deprotonated 2-phenylpyridine (N-CH) ligands were prepared and assayed for G-quadruplex DNA binding activities. [PtII(dppz-COOH)(N-C)]CF3SO3 (1; dppz-COOH = 11-carboxydipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) binds G-quadruplex DNA through an external end-stacking mode with a binding affinity of approximately 10(7) dm3 mol-1. G-quadruplex DNA binding is accompanied by up to a 293-fold increase in the intensity of photoluminescence at lambdamax = 512 nm. Using a biotinylated-primer extension telomerase assay, 1 was shown to be an effective inhibitor of human telomerase in vitro, with a telIC50 value of 760 nM.