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Full-Text Articles in Chemistry

Photodynamic Therapy Agents: The Power Of Mjöllnir To Eradicate Cancer, Sidney M. Hopper May 2023

Photodynamic Therapy Agents: The Power Of Mjöllnir To Eradicate Cancer, Sidney M. Hopper

Honors College Theses

After its discovery back in the 1900s, photosensitizers became a critical study for potential treatments and cures for medical issues, including cancer. It was discovered that porphyrins appeared to target and accumulate in proliferating cells, and to reach the cells, a certain wavelength of light with maximum absorbance associated with the porphyrin was necessary to achieve cell death. Photodynamic therapy involves making use of porphyrins or metalloporphyrins as activators when exposed to such light. When activated, these compounds generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), such as HO- or O2-, which can react with nucleic acids found in DNA and RNA. In …


The Discovery And Characterization Of Novel Potent 5-Substituted 3, 3’, 4’, 7-Tetramethoxyflavonoid Dna Triplex Specific Binding Ligands, Vanessa Marie Rangel Jan 2023

The Discovery And Characterization Of Novel Potent 5-Substituted 3, 3’, 4’, 7-Tetramethoxyflavonoid Dna Triplex Specific Binding Ligands, Vanessa Marie Rangel

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Chemotherapy works by killing fast dividing cells. Unfortunately, these drugs are not specific to cancer tissue and can damage normal cells. Chemotherapy is like taking poison and hoping it kills the cancer cells before it kills you. As an alternative, many researchers have investigated the use of antigene therapy to selectively target cancer causing genes to avoid off target effects. Although promising, the theory is limited by the stability of the triplex structure. Here, we report the discovery of potent triplex binding ligands derived from the natural product quercetin. Chemical derivatives of 5-substituted 3, 3’, 4’, 7-tetramethoxyquercetin derivatives were characterized …


Design, Synthesis, And Anticancer Properties Of Ru(Ii) Complexes With Organometallic, “Expanded” Bipyridine, And O,O’-Chelating Ligands, Raphael Ryan Jan 2021

Design, Synthesis, And Anticancer Properties Of Ru(Ii) Complexes With Organometallic, “Expanded” Bipyridine, And O,O’-Chelating Ligands, Raphael Ryan

Theses and Dissertations--Chemistry

Cancer is a worldwide public health crisis that requires new and improved drugs to be developed to extend survival rates and improve quality of life for the patient. Platinum-based drugs are used in approximately 50% of cancer treatment regimens. These drugs are highly effective in many kinds of cancer; however, cancers can develop platinum resistance and these drugs have troubling side effects that reduced their use and efficacy. To overcome these disadvantages, many other metals have been studied for their anticancer properties. Notably, the anticancer properties of ruthenium-based agents have drawn considerable attention with multiple ruthenium complexes entering clinical trials. …


Caspases And Cancer: Connections Through Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy, Sarah M. Hethcox May 2019

Caspases And Cancer: Connections Through Circular Dichroism Spectroscopy, Sarah M. Hethcox

Honors College Theses

While excessive cell death inevitably leads to negative effects, the endurance of damaged cells in the presence of death signals can be equally detrimental to health. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a highly regulated process in which cues from within or from outside a cell can trigger an irreversible sequence of signals that carry out cell destruction known as the apoptotic cascade. A group of enzymes called caspases play a vital role in this cascade with some participating as initiators and others acting as effectors of protein cleavage and intracellular breakdown. Although it is normal for the activity of …


One-Pot Syntheses And Characterizations Of “Click-Able” Polyester Polymers For Potential Biomedical Applications, James F. Beach Ii May 2017

One-Pot Syntheses And Characterizations Of “Click-Able” Polyester Polymers For Potential Biomedical Applications, James F. Beach Ii

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

In this study, a synthetic polyester polymer was designed using polyethylene glycol, sorbitol, glutaric acid and 4-pentynoic acid as monomers. The synthesis was carried out using standard melt polymerization technique and catalyzed by Novozyme-435, an enzyme suitable for polyesterification of biocompatible compounds. The progress of the reaction was monitored with respect to time and vacuum exposure, with samples being subjected to standard characterization protocols. Polymers with high molecular weight and water solubility were chosen for further modification into folate-functionalized polymeric nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery to cancer cells. This was achieved by employing a solvent diffusion method, wherein the polymer …


Synthesis And In-Vitro Cell Viability/Cytotoxicity Studies Of Novel Pyrrolobenzodiazepine Derivatives, John M. Jarrett May 2017

Synthesis And In-Vitro Cell Viability/Cytotoxicity Studies Of Novel Pyrrolobenzodiazepine Derivatives, John M. Jarrett

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pyrrolobenzodiazepines (PBDs) are a group of naturally occurring compounds that were discovered in the cultures of Streptomyces in the 1960s. Some natural PBDs discovered in these cultures, such as anthramycin and sibiromycin, were shown to possess a broad spectrum of anti-tumor activity. Since cancer is still a leading cause of death globally, the development of novel anti-proliferative derivatives of PBDs is essential for human welfare worldwide. Further synthesis and structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of the parent natural products and their tetracyclic analogs will lead to the discovery of drug candidates. In this work, thirteen PBD analogues were synthesized using no …


Synthesis And Characterization Of Imidazolium Salt Derivatives For Anti-Tumor Activity, Ryan W. Pearce Jan 2015

Synthesis And Characterization Of Imidazolium Salt Derivatives For Anti-Tumor Activity, Ryan W. Pearce

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Several aldehydes (butanal, pentanal, hexanal, 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde) were reacted with 1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (1) to produce novel C2 substituted imidazolium salts for the potential use against non-small cell lung cancer in humans. Compounds 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (3) and 2-(1-hydroxyhexyl)-1,3-bis(naphthalen-2-ylmethyl)-imidazolium bromide (5) were successfully synthesized with structures supported by NMR and mass spectrometry. Characterization by 1H NMR showed evidence of 1 in both compounds. The tumor cell growth inhibition of 3 against non-small cell lung cancer lines NCI-A549, NCI-H460, HCC827, and NCI-H1975 was tested and found to be comparable to cisplatin as measured by MTT assay. …