Five multinuclear cyclotriphosphazene ligands were synthesized and tested for their cleavage activities to plasmid DNA. All of these new compounds were confirmed by MS, ^1H NMR, ^31P NMR, ^13C NMR and IR. Preliminary studies on the cleavage of pUC19 DNA in the presence of metal complexes were performed. The results revealed that these complexes could act as powerful catalysts under physiological conditions. The complexes 3b ＋ Cu can effectively cleave DNA to nicked form, giving hydrolysis rate constant of 0.08/h under physiological conditions. An acid-base catalyzed DNA phosphate-diester hydrolysis mechanism was also orooosed.
