Formation of DNA Adducts with 2,5-Thiophenedicarboxaldehyde and Arginine

Certain aldehydes, when in the presence of the amino acid arginine, can react with DNA and form DNA adducts. 2,5-Thiophenedicarboxaldehyde is a compound consisting of a five membered aromatic ring containing sulfur. Aldehydes with structures similar to 2,5-thiophenedicarboxaldehyde have been found to form DNA adducts and therefore have the ability to kill cancer cells. In this project, the necessary compounds 2,5-thiophenedicarboxaldehyde, arginine, calf-thymus DNA (ct-DNA), and deoxyguanosine were combined in equimolar amounts in buffer. After reacting, the enzymes DNase I, alkaline phosphatase, and phosphodiesterase I were used in order to prepare the samples for analysis. Following filtration, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was utilized as a way to qualitatively analyze the reaction products