Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Modifications Of Lysozyme By Substituted Benzoquinones, Hendrik J. Greve

Honors Theses

Amyloidosis, which involves the precipitation of mis-folded protein aggregates, is a prominent process that occurs in many neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease; the protein aggregates being amyloid-β for Alzheimer’s disease and α-synuclein for Parkinson’s disease. This study has focused on lysozyme modifications induced by metabolites of the commonly found pollutants known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are found in substances ranging from grilled meats to cigarette smoke to cosmetics, and they can be metabolized into a family of biological toxins known as benzoquinones. The molecules of interest for this study were 1,4-benzoquinone (pBQ), 2-chloro-1,4-benzoquinone (CBQ), …