Organic Chemicals Commons^™

Quantifying Black Carbon Concentrations In Georgia And Analyzing Associated Public Health Risks, Khloe R. Osborne

Honors Theses

Quantifying Black Carbon Concentrations in Georgia and Analyzing Associated Public Health Risks

One of the most daunting challenges of the industrial world is air pollution. Within this broad spectrum, there is an inhalable particle group named PM2.5, which contains black carbon. Black carbon has evidence that supports the generation and worsening of adverse health impacts, which may include birth complications, cognitive deficits in children, pulmonary aggravation, asthma, cardiovascular issues, neurological degenerative patterns, and cancer risk. This is especially seen in vulnerable populations, like children, elderly, and those who already suffer from weakened health, many of which reside in the southern …

Menthalactone From Mentha Piperita L., A Monocot-Selective Bioherbicide, Adam Soltani

Honors Theses

The challenge of managing invasive weed species continues to affect the agricultural industry, presenting ecological, economic, and agronomic hurdles that lead to over 100 billion USD in annual crop losses globally. One such concern is the management of Agrostis stolonifera L., commonly known as creeping bentgrass, particularly due to its ability to form hybrids. This scenario underscores the urgent need for innovative, effective, and environmentally sustainable herbicides, steering the focus toward natural substances as potential candidates. We report here a promising natural lactone, commonly known as menthalactone, which is derived from Mentha piperita L. Its phytotoxic activity was assessed against …

Exogenous Exposure To Dihydroxyacetone Mimics High Fructose Induced Oxidative Stress And Mitochondrial Dysfunction, Raj Mehta

Honors Theses

Dihydroxyacetone (DHA) is a three-carbon sugar that is the active ingredient in sunless tanning products and a by-product of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) combustion. Increased use of sunless tanning products and e-cigarettes has elevated exposures to DHA through inhalation and absorption. Studies have confirmed that DHA is rapidly absorbed into cells and can enter into metabolic pathways following phosphorylation to dihydroxyacetone phosphate (DHAP), a product of fructose metabolism. Recent reports have suggested metabolic imbalance and cellular stress results from DHA exposures. However, the impact of elevated exposure to DHA on human health is currently under-investigated. We propose that exogenous exposures to …

Synthesis Of Novel Long Chain Unsaturated Fatty Acid Analogs Of Capsaicin, Eli Bettiga

Honors Theses

A number of key studies have shown that the natural product capsaicin displays in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects against a variety of cancers, however, both the analgesic and cancer-related therapeutic potential of capsaicin have been limited by its unpleasant pungent side effects and modest potency. N-acyl vanillylamides (N-AVAMs) are a unique class of compounds that are simple side chain modified capsaicin derivatives. Limited structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies of N-AVAMs demonstrated that substitution of the capsaicin side-chain with longer unsaturated fatty acid groups results in non-pungent analogs with improved anti-invasive activity relative to capsaicin. In an effort to ultimately …

Fluorometric Characterization Of A Methylene Blue Derivative Sensitive To Reactive Oxygen Species (Ros), Matthew Weeks

Honors Theses

Methylene blue (MB) has many uses within both microbiology and pharmacology. MB can treat disorders such as methemoglobinemia, malaria, Alzheimer’s disease, and certain forms of cancer. MB is also useful for molecular imaging due to its off-on fluorescent capabilities. MB derivatives with a urea bond at the 10-N position have been cleavable by triggers such as light. However, I was interested in sensitivity to reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this study, I wanted to determine if the MB derivative MB-EA exhibited sensitivity to ROS. MB-EA was exposed to varying concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and MB release was measured. I concluded …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Pamam-Fatty Acid “Janus-Type” Dendritic Hybrids For Biomedical Applications, Abigail Grace Barker

Honors Theses

Janus dendrimers are amphiphilic macromolecules that have shown promising potential in the biomedical field. Due to their unique structure and properties, these branched block copolymers have the ability to self-assemble into bioinspired spherical nanoaggregates. Because they possess a hydrophobic and hydrophilic moiety, these aggregates show potential as drug delivery systems that can transport both hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs. However, many of the proposed dendrimer systems suffer from certain weaknesses that hinder their practical usage as clinical treatment options. Some of these shortcomings include specificity, solubility, size, surface charge, and mechanical properties. To combat these problems, we synthesized and characterized a …

The Effects Of Alpha-Tocopherol And Ascorbic Acid On Metastatic Breast Cancer Cells, Scout Treadwell

Honors Theses

Breast cancer is a multifaceted, complex disease that affects hundreds of thousands of patients every year. Although there has a been a decline in the mortality rate of this disease, it is still vital to investigate and discover new possible treatments. One area of research involves the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cancer cells and the possibility of ROS-induced apoptosis. Antioxidants such as Vitamin C and Vitamin E have been shown to serve as pro-oxidants. Instead of detoxifying the cell from damaging ROS, these compounds can stimulate ROS production, triggering an apoptotic cascade in the cell. In this …

Synthesis Of Pharmaceutical And Personal Care Products And Pesticide Metabolites Of Environmental Concern, Isaiah Edwards

Honors Theses

Human pollution of aquatic environments by introduction of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs) as well as agrichemicals presents a grave threat to the health of aquatic organisms. Many of these chemicals not only exhibit toxicity to the species of complex ecosystems at various levels but also undergo metabolic transformation into moieties that have different and sometimes more potent physiochemical profiles. PPCP and pesticides as well as their metabolites impact organisms via a number of different mechanisms, with the most serious arguably being endocrine disruption. Two emerging pollutants, gemfibrozil and bifenthrin, possess naturally occurring metabolites that were determined to warrant …