A new ruthenium polypyridine complex, [Ru(phen) 2(pMIP)] 2+(phen=1,10-phenanthroline, pMIP=2-(4-methylphenyl)imidazo phenanthroline), was synthesized and characterized by elementary analysis, MS and 1H NMR. Spectroscopic methods have been carried out on the interaction mechanism of the Ru (Ⅱ) complex with yeast tRNA systematically. The experimental results indicate that the complex binds to yeast tRNA with an intercalative mode possibly, and interacts with yeast tRNA enantioselectively. The experimental results also suggest that spectroscopic method is effective on studying the interaction mechanism of Ru (Ⅱ) complexes with RNA. Information obtained from the study is potentially useful in the design of new RNA-targeting drugs.
