Role of graphene in scavenging methyl cations: a DFT study.

Context: It is known that methylating agents methylate DNA by transferring a methyl cation (CH) to the nucleophilic sites in DNA bases and DNA methylation is implicated in cancer and other pathological conditions. Therefore, it is important to scavenge CH ion in order to protect DNA from methylation. Graphene is considered to be a versatile material for use in a wide variety of fields including sensors, antioxidants, drug delivery and DNA sequencing.