The neutral mononuclear Ln(III) complexes (Ln = La, Sm) with 7-methoxychrom-one-3-carbaldehyde-isonicotinoyl hydrazone ligand (L) have been synthesized, characterized and investigated their interactions with calf-thymus DNA. The results show that the binding affinity of the La(III) complex is stronger than that of the Sm(III) complex and that of the ligand (L). Furthermore, the antioxidant activities of the ligand (L) and its Ln(III) complexes (Ln = La, Sm) were studied in detail.