Generation and photosensitization properties of the oxidized radical of riboflavin: a laser flash photolysis study

Direct excitation of riboflavin with 248 nm laser gives rise to a transient absorption spectrum with contributions from (1) oxidized radical, (2) hydrated electron, (3) triplet state and reduced radical, and distinction between the transient species below 360 nm is difficult for the absorption overlapped. The RF·+ or RF(-H)· has been clearly produced via direct photoionization by 248 nm laser in aqueous solution, which has been unambiguously identified by SO4·- radical oxidation, although its transient absorption can not be observed clearly for both lower absorption coefficient (ε = 2000 dm3mol-1cm-1 at 640 nm at pH 7.1) and overlap from others. In the present paper, electron transfer from purine and pyrimidine nucleotides to one-electron oxidized radical of riboflavin were observed for the first time in aqueous solution, and the reaction rate constants were determined respectively, which would obviously be of considerable significance in vivo and in vitro. The results clearly demonstrate the importance of oxidized radical of riboflavin in flavin photochemistry and photobiology. These reaction paths are important for the elucidation of the interaction between riboflavin and DNA nucleotides under photoexcitation. When riboflavin was excited, triplet state and oxidized radical can be formed directly or by sequence reactions of triplet state. In the presence of DNA, electron transfer can take place to form a base radical cation, then hole migration to GG step along base-stacking of DNA leads to DNA strand scission, which has been verified by many steady product analysis. This selective cleavage of DNA shows the potential application of riboflavin as a site-specify photonuclease, which has become a highlight' in the currently photochemistry, photomedicine and photobiology areas. The mechanism implies that riboflavin can be applied potentially to photosensitization of oxygen deficient or under high intensity pulsed laser irradiation. (author)