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Structure-Reactivity Relationship Of Bio-Inspired Copper Complexes Containing Polypyridylamine Derivatives, Pattira Suktanarak

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In this dissertation, bio-inspired copper complexes were designed to study the influence from ligands, nuclearity, solvents and secondary coordination on reactivity toward small-molecule activation. This structure-reactivity relationship was examined in oxygen reduction reac­tions (ORR), and applied in detection of ascorbic acid (AsH2). First, copper(II) complexes containing polypyridyl-derivative ligands (i.e., Cu(dpa), Cu(adpa) and Cu2(addpa)) were synthesized and fully characterized by X-ray crystallography. The Cu(I) complexes which are active species for ORR were generated using AsH2 as a reducing agent. Redox states of the metal were examined by UV-Vis, NMR and EPR. It was found that copper complexes with various ligand topologies …

Weikangning Therapy In Functional Dyspepsia And The Protective Role Of Nrf2, Yujuan Chang, Wei Wei, Li Tong, Yanjun Liu, Aimin Zhou, Jiande Chen, Ruhan Wei, Ping Zhang, Xiaolan Su

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a non-organic gastro-intestinal disorder that has a marked negative impact on quality of life. Compared with conventional pharmacological therapies, the traditional Chinese medicine weikangning (WKN) is a safe and effective treatment for FD. The present study aimed to determine the molecular mechanisms underlying the efficacy of WKN. The effect of different concentrations of WKN on the proliferation of the human gastric mucosal epithelial cell line GES-1 was assessed. The optimal WKN concentration to promote cell proliferation was determined, and this concentration was used to examine the effect of WKN compared with a domperidone-treated positive control group …

Improvement And Development Of Analytical Forensic Methods: Arson Investigation And Drug Detection In Fingerprints And Hair, Sarah Anne Glenn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forensic science is the cornerstone of criminal investigations. Due to the overexposure of forensic science in the media, the true nature of forensic science is often overlooked. Forensic science is a rigorous exacting science that applies methods developed in the wider scientific community to the analysis of evidence collected from crime scenes. As far back as the 6th century people were using forensics to solve crimes. Since then the science behind forensic science has increased exponentially with new methods being researched and developed. This research aims to address two of the larger subsections of forensic science, arson and drug detection. …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Amide Linked Triazolyl Glycolipids As Molecular Hydrogelators And Organogelators, Guijun Wang, Anji Chen, Hari P. R. Mangunuru, Jayasudhan Reddy Yerabolu

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

Carbohydrate based small molecular gelators are important classes of compounds which can form useful soft materials with many practical applications. Although many different types of effective gelators have been reported, the rational design of a molecular hydrogelator is still challenging. In this research, we combined the structural features of two classes of monosaccharide based molecular gelators and obtained a new class of glycolipids that can function as molecular gelators. These new compounds were synthesized by introducing a triazole functional group to a protected 2-glucosamine through Cu(i) catalyzed azide/alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC). A series of eighteen new glycolipids containing 4,6-O …

Using Low-Coherence Interferometry To Monitor Cell Invasion In An In-Vitro Model System, Behnaz Davoudi Nasab

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In an optically random system, such as naturally occurring and man-made media, light undergoes pronounced multiple scattering. This phenomenon has shown a remarkable potential in characterizing complex materials. In this regime, scattering occurs from each individual center of the scattering and independent scattering events lead to multiple light scattering. This phenomenon is often described as a random walk of photons and can be modeled in terms of a diffusion equation based on the radiative transfer theory. In this thesis, we used optical path-length spectroscopy (OPS), which is an experimental method to obtain the path-length probability density of the propagating light …

Literature Review On The Use Of Nucleic Acid-Based Logic Gates For The Detection Of Human Diseases, Enrique J. Blanco Martinez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Conventional methods for diagnosis of human disease are, at times, limited in different regards including time requirement, either experimental or data processing, sensitivity, and selectivity. It is then that a Point of Care Criteria, which considers the true utility and usefulness of the device, is employed to propose new diagnostic devices capable of overcoming the aforementioned shortcomings of conventional tools. Nucleic acid, characterized for its predictable base-pairing nature, is considered to be a highly-selective, yet greatly modifiable device. Its behavior is then described through Boolean Logic, where “true” or “false” outputs are mathematically described as “1” and “0”, respectively. This …

Micro-Spectroscopy Of Bio-Assemblies At The Single Cell Level, Jeslin Kera

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In this thesis, we investigate biological molecules on a micron scale in the ultraviolet spectral region through the non-destructive confocal absorption microscopy. The setup involves a combination of confocal microscope with a UV light excitation beam to measure the optical absorption spectra with spatial resolution of 1.4 μm in the lateral and 3.6 μm in the axial direction. Confocal absorption microscopy has the benefits of requiring no labels and only low light intensity for excitation while providing a strong signal from the contrast generated by the attenuation of propagating light due to absorption. This enables spatially resolved measurements of single …

Two-Component Covalent Inhibitors (Tcci) Of The Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reverse Transcriptase (Hiv-Rt), Carlos Ledezma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The traditional design of nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTI's) involves the synthesis of chain-terminated nucleoside analogs. HIV-RT has relatively low fidelity which facilitates mutations that confer resistance towards NRTI's, also, drug promiscuity from NRTI's result in various side-effects that lead to poor patient adherence to treatment. We designed and tested two-component covalent inhibitors against HIV-RT. Our inhibitor design results in higher specificity due to its binary approach, which has previously been used in biosensing applications, where both components are necessary for therapeutic effect, and lower chances for mutagenesis because of its inhibitory action. The TCCI approach results in up to …

A Deoxyribozyme Sensor And Isothermal Amplification For Human Sex Determination, Alexandra Smith

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Ribozymes are known to catalyze biochemical reactions and behave like enzymes. They are naturally occurring and have very diverse functions within a cell. After investigating ribozymes that next step was to find if DNA can exhibit the same characteristics since RNA and DNA only differ by a ribose 2'-hydroxyl group. This evolution in curiosity gave rise to artificial DNA enzymes that can catalyze certain reactions and have been created by in vitro selection methods. Due to the ability to manipulate and control DNA hybridization, the deoxyribozyme is advantageous to the field of molecular diagnostics. Other hybridization probes like Taqman for …

A Universal Electrochemical Biosensor For The Detection Of Nucleic Acids Based On A Four-Way Junction Structure, Dawn Mills

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical hybridization sensors have been explored extensively for analysis of specific nucleic acids. However, commercialization of the platform is hindered by the need for attachment of separate oligonucleotide probes complementary to a RNA or DNA target to an electrode's surface. This dissertation demonstrates that a single probe can be used to analyze several nucleic acid targets of different lengths with high selectivity, low cost and can be regenerated in 30 seconds by a simple water rinse. The universal electrochemical four-way junction (4J)-forming (UE4J) sensor consists of a universal DNA stem-loop (USL) probe attached to the electrode's surface and two adaptor …

Synthetic Melanin Films As Potential Interfaces For Peroxynitrite Detection And Quantification, Haitham F. Kalil, Shaimaa Mahera, Tiyash Bosed, Ousama Al-Mahmoude, Clara Kay, Mekki Bayachou

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Peroxynitrite (PON) is a highly reactive oxygen-nitrogen species that facilitates both oxidation and nitration reactions. Early reports have revealed the deleterious effects of PON on DNA, proteins, and lipids. Recent studies have suggested that melanin can act as an antioxidative therapy to scavenge the reactive oxygen-nitrogen species (RO-NS) including PON. Melanin is a natural pigment that has many physiological functions involving the neutralization of highly oxidative species. In this project, the interaction between PON and synthetic melanin has been studied. In addition, the electrochemical characteristics of the polymerized 5,6-dihydroxy indole (DHI) as a model of synthetic melanin were examined using …

Development Of Diverse Size And Shape Rna Nanoparticles And Investigation Of Their Physicochemical Properties For Optimized Drug Delivery, Daniel L. Jasinski

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

RNA nanotechnology is an emerging field that holds great promise for advancing drug delivery and materials science. Recently, RNA nanoparticles have seen increased use as an in vivo delivery system. RNA was once thought to have little potential for in vivo use due to biological and thermodynamic stability issues. However, these issues have been solved by: (1) Finding of a thermodynamically stable three-way junction (3WJ) motif; (2) Chemical modifications to RNA confer enzymatic stability in vivo; and (3) the finding that RNA nanoparticles exhibit low immunogenicity in vivo.

In vivo biodistribution and pharmacokinetics are affected by the physicochemical …

Improved Characterization And Analysis Strategies For Uv-Lif Bioaerosol Instrumentation: Lab And Field Application, Nicole Justine Savage

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric particles of biological origin, also referred to as bioaerosols or primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP), are important to various human health and environmental systems. There has been a recent steep increase in the frequency of published studies utilizing commercial instrumentation based on ultraviolet laser/light-induced fluorescence (UV-LIF), such as the WIBS (wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor), for bioaerosol detection both outdoors and in the built environment. Significant work over several decades supported the development of these technologies, but efforts to systematically characterize the operation of new commercial sensors has remained lacking. Specifically, there are gaps in the understanding of how different …

Phage Display To Identify Functional Resistance Mutations To Rigosertib, Nedim Filipovic

CMC Senior Theses

In vitro protein selection has had major impacts in the field of protein engineering. Traditional screens assay individual proteins for specific function. Selection, however, analyzes a pool of mutants and yields the best variants. Phage display, a successful selection technique, also provides a reliable link between variant phenotype and genotype. It can also be coupled with high throughput sequencing to map protein mutations; potentially highlighting vital mutations in variants. We propose to apply this technique to cancer therapy. RAF, a serine/threonine kinase, is critical for cell regulation in mammals. RAF can be activated by oncogenic RAS, found in over 30% …

Ligands Of Therapeutic Utility For The Liver X Receptors., Rajesh Komati, Dominick Spadoni, Shilong Zheng, Jayalakshmi Sridhar

Faculty and Staff Publications

Liver X receptors (LXRs) have been increasingly recognized as a potential therapeutic target to treat pathological conditions ranging from vascular and metabolic diseases, neurological degeneration, to cancers that are driven by lipid metabolism. Amidst intensifying efforts to discover ligands that act through LXRs to achieve the sought-after pharmacological outcomes, several lead compounds are already being tested in clinical trials for a variety of disease interventions. While more potent and selective LXR ligands continue to emerge from screening of small molecule libraries, rational design, and empirical medicinal chemistry approaches, challenges remain in minimizing undesirable effects of LXR activation on lipid metabolism. …

Formation Of Titan Aerosol From Co And Ch4, Tate Christensen

Honors Program Theses

In 1952 Stanley Miller and Harold Urey conducted an experiment that would simulate the conditions of early earth (Miller, 1953). The purpose was to observe the chemical origins of life, and the conclusion supported an earlier theory that such conditions favor the synthesis of more complex organic compounds from simpler inorganic molecules. The research conducted in Dr. Sebree’s lab is an extension of these early findings. It is believed that early Earth was composed mostly of nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and methane as opposed to our atmosphere of nitrogen and oxygen today.

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, has qualities relatively …

The Antibacterial Activity Of Metal Complexes Containing 1, 10-Phenanthroline: Potential As Alternatire Therapeutics In The Era Of Antibiotic Resistance, Livia Viganon, Orla L. Howe, Pauraic Mccarron, Malachy Mccann, Michael Devereux

Articles

The “antibiotic era”, characterized by the overuse and misuse of antibiotics, over the last half-century has culminated in the present critical “era of resistance”. The treatment of bacterial infections is challenging because of a decline in the current arsenal of useful antibiotics and the slow rate of new drug development. The discovery of a new gene (mcr-1) in 2015, which enables bacteria to be highly resistant to polymyxins (such as colistin), the last line of antibiotic defence left, heralds a new level of concern as this gene is susceptible to horizontal gene transfer, with alarming potential to be spread between …

Quantifying Carbonyl Sulfide And Other Sulfur-Containing Compounds Over The Santa Barbara Channel, Julia Black

Scripps Senior Theses

Carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is emitted to the atmosphere through the outgassing of ocean surface waters. OCS is also the primary source of sulfur-containing compounds in the stratosphere and contributes to the formation of the stratospheric sulfate layer, an essential controller of the radiative balance of the atmosphere. During the 2016 Student Airborne Research Program (SARP), 15 whole air samples were collected on the NASA DC-8 aircraft over the Santa Barbara Channel. Five additional surface samples were taken at various locations along the Santa Barbara Channel. The samples were analyzed using gas chromatography in the Rowland-Blake lab at UC Irvine, and …

Application Of Factorial Design In The Analysis Of Factors Influencing Textile Dye Adsorption On Activated Carbon, Eid A. Alkhatib, Penny A. Snetsinger, Ahmad Alanazi, Sarah Aanonsen

Chemistry & Physics Faculty Publications

In this study, the use of factorial design software is applied to evaluate efficiently factors influencing the adsorption capacity of activated carbon in treating textile dyes. Activated carbon is usually used to treat wastewater effluents from textile industries in order to remove textile dyes before discharge into the environment. Most treatment facilities, particularly large industrial or wastewater treatment facilities use continuous flow reactors or packed columns to treat the dye. Due to the limited residence time in these types of reactors, adsorption equilibrium is not necessarily reached, and the absorption rate becomes an important factor in this treatment process. Other …

Chemical Profiling And Chemical Standardization Of Vitex Negundo Using 13c Nmr, Fabian M. Dayrit, Lolita G. Lagurin, John Daniel J. Magsalin, Anthony R. Zosa

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Chemical profiling and standardization of the defatted methanol extract of the leaves of Vitex negundo L. were carried out using 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis followed by chemometric analysis of the chemical shift data. Chemical profile was obtained using a k-means cluster profile and chemical standardization which was achieved using a multivariate control chart. The V. negundo samples were made up of four groups: the training set, submitted samples from production farms, commercial samples, such as tablets, capsules and teas, and experimental samples (samples which were allowed to degrade). Four groups were generated in k-means cluster, which generally corresponded …

Fluorescent Probe Interrogation Of A Cytoprotective Cancer-Linked Oxidoreductase In Two-Dimensional Human Cell Cultures And Solid Tumor Mimics, Bijeta Prasai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fluorescence molecular imaging is an emerging field with potential to aid in optically guided surgery for cancer treatment. To overcome the drawbacks of always-on fluorescent probes, such as indocyanine green, activatable fluorescent probes are being developed that allow high signal-to-background imaging for better discrimination of cancerous cells from normal cells. For activation, turn-on fluorescent probes rely on the presence of biomarkers such as antibodies, cell-surface receptors or enzymes that are highly specific to tumor cells. hNQO1 (human NAD(P)H: quinone oxidoreductase isoenzyme 1) is considered as one of such cancer-associated biomarkers that are present intracellularly in cancers of multiple origins. It …

Fluorescence Polarization Measurements To Probe Alignment Of A Bithiophene Dye In One-Dimensional Channels Of Self-Assembled Phenylethynylene Bis-Urea Macrocycle Crystals, Preecha Kittikhunnatham

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes the use of polarized fluorescence microscopy to directly probe guest molecule orientation in bis-urea macrocycle crystals. These macrocycles assemble to afford one-dimensional (1D) microchannels ∼9 Å in diameter that have previously been shown to exhibit normal Fickian diffusion and induce selective reactivity among the confined guest molecules. In the present work, we take advantage of the quasi-1D morphology of fiber-like microcrystals with the extended dimension corresponding to the channel axis to measure excitation and emission polarization values for a bithiophene guest. Guest fluorescence is shown to be polarized along the fiber axis with emission polarization values up …

Bioavailable Iron In Equatorial Pacific Ocean Aerosol Samples, Hsiang T Teng

All Master's Theses

Oceanic iron (Fe) fertilization experiments performed in remote regions have established that Fe additions draw carbon into the ocean, at least over the months-long time frame of the experiments. However, the mechanisms that control Fe speciation in atmospheric aerosol particles before and after deposition into the surface ocean remain largely unknown. This is in part due to the analytical challenge of quantifying Fe at environmentally significant sub-nano molar levels. The flow injection analysis method combined with the luminol chemiluminescence analytical system allows us to explore the near-real time determination of pico-molar levels of both Fe(II) and H₂O_{2 …}

A Diversity-Oriented Synthesis Approach To Functionalized Azaheterocycles Using Cyclic Alpha-Halo Eneformamides, Spencer A. Langevin

All Master's Theses

Functionalized piperidines, azepanes, azamacrocycles, morpholines, and thiomorpholines are common structural motifs found in a wide range of pharmaceuticals such as carmegliptine, levofloxacin, thioridazine, claviciptic acid, and azithomycin. As a result, there is a strong desire to construct highly functionalized nitrogen-bearing ring scaffolds in order to construct a wide range of drug possibilities. There are several non-modular and step-uneconomical synthetic methods used in the construction of these aforementioned motifs such as ring closing metathesis, ring expansions, and intramolecular reductive amination. In this research, we present a step-economical, cost-effective, scalable, and diversity-oriented synthesis approach to highly functionalized N-heterocycles through the intermediacy of …

Do Elevated Levels Of Glutathione Decrease The Toxicity Of Plasticizers In Mouse Liver Cells?, Khatoon Albahrani

All Master's Theses

Phthalates are esters of phthalic acid that play a crucial role in the manufacturing industries for enhancing the properties of plastic materials. Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) is one of the most common phthalates used in a variety of products including food packaging and medical equipment. Their use has caused public health concerns because of their toxic effects on reproductive and developmental processes. This study aims to investigate the response of two mouse hepatoma cell lines to the effects of DEHP and its bioactive metabolite mono (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (MEHP). Cells were exposed to four concentrations (10, 50, 100, and 300 µM) of …

Synthesis And Biological Activity Of Novel Tu100 Derivatives, Oladotun J. Alao

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In an attempt to create more effective chemotherapeutic compounds, the naphthoquinone adduct, 12,13-dihydro-N-methyl-6,11,13-trioxo-5H-benzo[4,5]cyclohepta [1,2 b]naphthalen-5,12-imine (hereafter called TU100) was synthesized. Inspired by its unique and novel mechanism of action, a series of structural derivatives were synthesized to explore structure-activity relationships. The analogues exhibited different cytotoxicity profiles, revealing the indicated regions are involved in cell death induction. Furthermore, the analogues had dramatically different effects on cellular ATP production, suggesting different molecular targets. Synthesis, biological activity, and SAR study of these analogues will be revealed.

Quantitative Analysis Of Acetic Acid In Hard Woods As A Way To Improve Museum Artifact Storage, Alexandria Flora

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Many materials used for storage of museum artifacts have been found to cause damage to the items either through emitting harmful volatile gases or through direct contact. Harmful storage techniques can cause corrosion, discoloration, or deterioration of priceless artifacts. Museum enclosures made of hardwoods have been shown to emit acetic acid vapors that cause damage to the items being stored. In the present study, a review of the effects of acetic acid damage on museum artifacts was performed, and an evolved gas analysis and titration method were used to quantify acetic acid in various hardwoods.

Copper Salt-Catalyzed Formation Of A Novel Series Of Triazole-Spirodienone Conjugates With Potent Anticancer Activity., L. Gu, P. Wang, Qiu Zhong, Y. Deng, J. Xie, F. Liu, F. Xiao, Shilong Zheng, Y. Chen, Guangdi Wang, L. He

Faculty and Staff Publications

Copper salt-catalyzed oxidative amination resulted in the formation of a novel series of triazole-spirodienone conjugates, 4-triazolyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4,5]deca-6,9-dien-3,8-diones and 4-triazolyl-1-oxa-4-azaspiro[4,5]deca-6,9-dien-8-ones. A single crystal of compound 1p among them was grown and analyzed by X-ray crystallography. These compounds were evaluated for their antiproliferative activities against MDA-MB-231, HeLa, A549 and MCF-7 cell lines. Most of them showed moderate to high anticancer potency in the four cancer cell lines. The discovery of the triazole-spirodienone conjugates as cytotoxic agents against cancer cells may open up a new field in which these novel small molecules could be further explored as promising anticancer agents.

An Analysis Of Stimuli Responsive Biomaterials Using Raman Spectroscopy And Computational Studies, Gretchen Harknett

Honors Theses

This thesis involves the computational and spectroscopic exploration of the linear dendritic block copolymer, poly(L-lactide)-poly(amido-amine), (PLA-PAMAM), under different environmental conditions using Raman spectroscopy, in hopes to utilize it in future effective and cost-efficient drug delivery systems. Janus dendrimers, a material made up of two different dendrimer portions, are currently being studied in great detail, as they possess many attractive features for materials scientists looking to develop ways for drugs to be delivered in more efficient manners than currently available to physicians. The instrumentation used to conduct this thesis is a high resolution Raman spectrometer. Computationally, Gaussian 09 was employed to …

Psammaplins Selectively Target Triple-Negative Metastatic Breast Tumor Cells That Are Genetically Programmed To Colonize Specific Organs, Thuy Phuong Le

Honors Theses

Five bromotyrosine-derived marine sponge metabolites, four psammaplins (1 — 4) and the psammaplin dimer, bisaprasin (5) were isolated from a lipid extract sample of the marine sponge Dendrilla lacunosa. Â Psammaplins act as histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors that alter cellular gene expression. Â The D. lacunosa psammaplins activated the oxygen regulated transcription factor HIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor-1) in T47D human breast tumor cells and displayed cell line specific effects against aggressive organotropic metastatic cell lines that were derived from triple-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast tumor cells.