EN
Oxidatively generated damage to DNA frequently appears in the human genome as the effect of aerobic metabolism or as the result of exposure to exogenous oxidizing agents such as ionization radiation. In this paper, for the first time, the electronic properties of nucleoside pairs containing 5′,8-cyclo-2′-deoxyadenosine (cdA) in their 5′R and 5′S diastereomeric forms (cdA(R)::T and cdA(S)::T) as the simplest model of ds-DNA have been discussed. The following values of the selected electronic parameters, measured in eV, were found for cdA(R)::T, cdA(S)::T, and dA::T, respectively, adiabatic/vertical electron affinity: 0.39/0.24, 0.35/0.18, 0.33/0.21; and adiabatic/vertical ionization potential: 7.27/7.50, 7.7.25/7.49, 7.03/7.27. Moreover, based on the results of the relaxation energy, the presence of cdA(S)::T should provide the highest barrier for electron transfer in ds-DNA. Analyses of hydrogen bond length deviations reveal that the formation of cationic forms results in higher elongation than that of anionic forms. Moreover, during the electron attachment or detachment for the investigated cdA(R)::T, cdA(S)::T, and dA::T nucleoside pairs, the same scheme of changes in hydrogen bond length was noted. [...]