Chemicals and Drugs Commons^™

Nanodiscs: A Novel Approach To The Study Of The Methionine Abc Transporter System, Michael T. Winslow

Master's Theses

Membrane transporter proteins play the vital role of moving compounds in and out of the cell and are essential for all living organisms. ATP Binding Cassette (ABC) family transporters function both as importers and exporters in prokaryotes. MetNI is an E. coli Type I ABC transporter responsible for the uptake of methionine into the cytosol from the cell periplasmic space through the cell membrane to maintain intracellular methionine pools. ABC transporters, like other membrane proteins, are most often mechanistically and structurally studied in vitro, solubilized by detergents. However, detergent micelles may affect the conformational changes of membrane proteins relative to …

Preparation Of Supramolecular Amphiphilic Cyclodextrin Bilayer Vesicles For Pharmaceutical Applications, Kate E. Frischkorn

Master's Theses

Recent pharmaceutical developments have investigated using supramolecular nanoparticles in order to increase the bioavailability and solubility of drugs delivered in various methods. Modification of the carbohydrate cyclodextrin increases the ability to encapsulate hydrophobic pharmaceutical molecules by forming a carrier with a hydrophobic core and hydrophilic exterior. Guest molecules are commonly added to these inclusion complexes in order to add stability and further increase targeting abilities of the carriers. One such guest molecule is adamantine combined with a poly(ethylene glycol) chain. Vesicles are formed by hydrating a thin film of amphiphilic cyclodextrin and guest molecules in buffer solution that mimics physiological …

Part 1: Synthesis Of 3,7 Dimethyl-7-Methoxyoctane-2-Ol (Osyrol) From Citronellol Utilizing The Wacker Process Part 2: Developing A Methodology For C(Sp3)-H Arylation On The Β Position Of A Carboxylic Acid Using A Removable Directing Group, Stephen Lo

Master's Theses

The synthesis of 3,7-dimethyl-7-methoxyoctane-2-ol (Osyrol), an important sandalwood odorant, from 3,7-dimethylocta-1,6-diene (dihydromyrcene) was recently accomplished by two groups, both utilizing a two-step epoxide formation and ring opening approach. Here, the synthesis of Osyrol from 3,7-Dimethyloct-6-en-1-ol (citronellol) is accomplished in a novel six-step approach. The key steps in this synthesis is the Wacker Oxidation of a terminal double bond followed by sodium borohydride (NaBH₄) reduction. Though most of the steps in this reaction scheme resulted in limited success, the key steps occurred with high yields.

In the second chapter, the effects of 2-aminophenyl-1H-pyrazole (2-APP) as a removable directing group …

Studies To Characterize Heavy Metal Content And Migration From Recycled Polyethyleneterephthalate, Michael John-Ross Whitt

Master's Theses

Packaging Materials account for 31% of the world’s municipal solid waste. Agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) are pushing for the increased use of recycled thermoplastic materials. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a commonly recycled thermoplastic which is used to package ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables. Most recycled polyethylene terephthalate (RPET) packaging materials contain heavy metal catalysts, the most common being antimony. The recent increased use of recycled plastic materials has been suspected as the source of increased human heavy metal exposure. In this study, cadmium, chromium, nickel, lead and antimony …

Biochemical Assay Optimization And Computational Screening Efforts To Identify Potential Luxs Inhibitors, Keeshia Q. Wang

Master's Theses

Quorum sensing (QS) is a process of coordination of bacterial gene expression in response to cell population. System two QS is regulated by the small signaling molecule autoinducer-2 (AI-2) and is implicated in the infectious behaviors of various bacterial species. AI-2 is biosynthesized from S-ribosylhomocysteine (SRH) by the enzyme LuxS and induces interspecies cell-to-cell communication. Inhibition of LuxS would therefore inhibit interspecies QS. Herein, a search for novel molecular species that will competitively bind with SRH in the LuxS binding site is performed in silico. Computational screening results are then validated in vitro using an optimized LuxS inhibition …

Formulation Development Of A Polymer-Drug Matrix With A Controlled Release Profile For The Treatment Of Glaucoma, Eric W. Tsoi

Master's Theses

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States accounting for 9-12% of all cases of blindness. Currently, the front line treatment for glaucoma are prostaglandins that may have to be taken up to several times a day. Even with proper treatment, roughly 11% of the patients using the treatment are non-compliant and lose their vision. In this project, ForSight Laboratories has developed a pharmaceutical drug delivering implant with the capability of sustaining long-term release of a prostaglandin as a new way to treat the condition. This project reports the product development of a polymer drug matrix with …

The Relationship Between Vitamin D Status Of Adult Women And Diet, Sun Exposure, Skin Reflectance, Body Composition, And Insulin Sensitivity, Marisa M. Mcadler

Master's Theses

As the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency continues to grow, mounting evidence supporting its link with chronic disease strengthens suggesting vitamin D’s candidacy in the prevention and treatment of multiple disease states and their complications. Dietary guidelines, however, do not take sun exposure into account. The present study sought to explore the impact of sun exposure on vitamin D status (serum 25(OH)D), and identify other significant determinants of serum levels which may have the greatest effects on overall health. Participants (n = 34) were pre-menopausal women aged 18 to 50 years (mean age 39 ± 6 years), who had their …

The Effect Of All-Trans Retinoic Acid And Fatty Acids On Mcf-7 Breast Cancer Cell Progression, David A. Brown

Master's Theses

Vitamin A metabolites and retinoids may slow the progression of breast cancer and elicit anti-neoplastic properties similar to those of omega-3 fatty acids. Studies using animal models show a decrease in the incidence, growth and metastisis of mammary tumors in the presence of specific fatty acids. This effect is also seen with use of retinoids, specifically all-trans retinoic acid (AtRA). Thus, fatty acids may also alter retinoid homeostasis in mammary carcinoma cells (MCF-7s). The potential for inter/co dependency among fatty acids and retinoids is considerable, and here it has been hypothesized that a decrease in cancer progression will occur in …

The Relative Efficacy Of Selected Drugs Upon The Physical Activities And The Attention Span Of A Ten Year Old Brain-Damaged Child, Ruth Elaine Atkinson

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine the relative efficacy of selected drugs in reducing the hyperactivity end increasing the attention span of a ten-year old child who had been medically diagnosed as having brain damage.

The evaluation of the effects of three drugs, Chlordiazepoxide (librium), Fluphenasine Hydrochloride (Prolixin), Thioridazine (Mellaril), and a combination of Mellaril and Methylphenidate Hydrochloride (Ritalin), was made by a psychiatrist after consideration of (1) written observations of the child’s school activities during a two-hour period, (2) a tabulation of data based on the observations, (3) reports made by the parents and teacher of the …

Density Measurements Of Urea Adducts, Pascal Angelo Tarantino

Master's Theses

The principal objective of this thesis is to investigate the densities of four different homologous series of urea adducts to discover the effect functional groups have on the density and molar ratio of the adducts. The four series selected are straight chain saturated hydrocarbons of the following types: n-paraffins, alcohols, acids and bromides. The number of carbon atoms contained in the chains are 8, 10, 14 and 18 for each of the respective series.

Since the discovery of urea complexes in 1939 by Frederick M. Bengen, an exceedingly high interest has been awakened in many chemical laboratories all over the …