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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Synthesis, Characterization And Applications Of Peptide-Coated Nanoparticles, Mina Sadat Poursharifi Sep 2021

Synthesis, Characterization And Applications Of Peptide-Coated Nanoparticles, Mina Sadat Poursharifi

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Ovarian Cancer (OC) is the most lethal female malignancy worldwide, mainly due to its high recurrence rate and poor diagnosis. Most patients present with late stage of the disease, and less than 25% of patients survive the five years mark. Nanotherapy provides significant and unique benefits for drug efficacy, as nanoparticles (NPs) can increase the solubility, bioavailability, and permeability of many potent drugs. Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) is one of the most successful biodegradable polymers used in NPs formulations, mainly due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is one of the most commonly used moieties to prolong the NPs …


The Structural And Functional Role Of Photosensing In Rgs-Lov Proteins, Zaynab Jaber Sep 2021

The Structural And Functional Role Of Photosensing In Rgs-Lov Proteins, Zaynab Jaber

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Light provides organisms with energy and spatiotemporal information. To survive and adapt, organisms have developed the ability to sense light to drive biochemical effects that underlie vision, entrainment of circadian rhythm, stress response, virulence, and many other important molecularly driven responses. Blue-light sensing Light-Oxygen-Voltage (LOV) domains are ubiquitous across multiple kingdoms of life and modulate various physiological events via diverse effector domains. Using a small molecule flavin chromophore, the LOV domain undergoes light-dependent structural changes leading to activation or repression of these catalytic and non-catalytic effectors. In silico analyses of high-throughput genomic sequencing data has led to the marked expansion …


Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assemblies In Nature And Nanotechnology, Phu Khanh Tang Sep 2021

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Self-Assemblies In Nature And Nanotechnology, Phu Khanh Tang

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Nature usually divides complex systems into smaller building blocks specializing in a few tasks since one entity cannot achieve everything. Therefore, self-assembly is a robust tool exploited by Nature to build hierarchical systems that accomplish unique functions. The cell membrane distinguishes itself as an example of Nature’s self-assembly, defining and protecting the cell. By mimicking Nature’s designs using synthetically designed self-assemblies, researchers with advanced nanotechnological comprehension can manipulate these synthetic self-assemblies to improve many aspects of modern medicine and materials science. Understanding the competing underlying molecular interactions in self-assembly is always of interest to the academic scientific community and industry. …


Synthesis And Evaluation Of C-10 Nitrogenated Aporphine Alkaloids At Serotonin And Dopamine Receptors, Anupam Karki Jun 2021

Synthesis And Evaluation Of C-10 Nitrogenated Aporphine Alkaloids At Serotonin And Dopamine Receptors, Anupam Karki

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Aporphine alkaloids, belonging to the isoquinoline class of compounds, have been investigated as a potential source of ligands for Central Nervous System (CNS) receptors. Previous research indicates that the aporphine scaffold may be manipulated to synthesize selective ligands for serotonin and dopamine receptors. Novel aporphine alkaloids containing C10 nitrogen substitutions were synthesized, and their affinities were evaluated at serotonin (5-HT1A, 5-HT1B, 5-HT2A, 5-HT7A) receptors and dopamine (D1, D2, D3, D4, and D5) receptors. Two series of racemic aporphine compounds with C10 nitrogenous functionalities were synthesized and analyzed at the aforementioned receptors. The first series of aporphine alkaloids contain C10 nitro, …


Design, Synthesis And Evaluation Of Molecules With Selective And Poly-Pharmacological Actions At D1r, D3r And Sigma Receptors, Pierpaolo Cordone Jun 2021

Design, Synthesis And Evaluation Of Molecules With Selective And Poly-Pharmacological Actions At D1r, D3r And Sigma Receptors, Pierpaolo Cordone

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) is one of the most studied receptors involved in drug addiction. One of the most common strategies to treat substance use disorders is via D3R antagonism. The majority of the D3R antagonists synthesized so far have poor pharmacokinetic properties and/or lack selectivity toward D3R. In this thesis, the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel molecules that target the dopamine D1 receptor (D1R), D3R and the serendipitous discovery of molecules that target s receptors will be described.

Chapter 1 presents a survey of the fundamental pharmacology of D1R, D3R and s receptors and the therapeutic …