Arylsulfanyl groups - Suitable side chains for 5-substituted 1,10-phenanthroline and nickel complexes as G4 ligands and telomerase inhibitors.

Guanine-rich DNA sequences can undergo self-assembly into unique G-quadruplex structures that interfere with the binding of proteins to the same DNA region. The formation of DNA G-quadruplexes requires monovalent cations (Na and K) or small molecules known as G-quadruplex (G4) ligands. Phenanthroline is a type of G4 ligand scaffold known for its coordination with metal ions to form complexes with a large aromatic surface area, which aptly stack with G-quartets.