Natural Products Chemistry and Pharmacognosy Commons^™

“Pinkalicious": Outer Membrane Vesicles Isolated From Pseudoalteromonas Rubra Carry Prodigiosin Antibiotics As Cargo, Margaret Hill

Senior Honors Projects

Astrangia poculata, the state coral of Rhode Island, is susceptible to infection by Vibrio coralliilyticus RE22, which is a common marine pathogen affecting various invertebrate species. The settlement of coral larvae prior to the establishment of colonies is mediated by crustose coralline algae (CCA). This process may be induced by CCA-associated protective bacteria that colonize corals in early metamorphosis; furthermore, such bacteria potentially have downstream effects in the susceptibility of corals to pathogens. Strains of Pseudoalteromonas rubra isolated from CCA have been shown to induce larval settlement of tropical corals. We hypothesize that P. rubra induces the settlement of …

Integration Of Medicinal Fungi Into The Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Garden, Anthony Makashov

Senior Honors Projects

The Heber W. Youngken Jr. Medicinal Garden is a one-of-a-kind resource that houses close to 300 medicinal plants and is filled to the brim with educational opportunities. For the College of Pharmacy, this garden has been the centerpiece of many classes taught here at the University of Rhode Island and has roots as a physical teaching space. While the garden contains a plethora of plant species, medicinal fungi have yet to have been included in the garden, despite their relevance as both sources of pharmaceutical drug discovery and as natural products with inherent physiological benefits themselves. The purpose of my …

Modulating The Tumor Microenvironment To Improve Immunotherapy Treatments, Lleayem Nazario-Johnson, David Rowley

Senior Honors Projects

Advances in immunotherapy are revolutionizing the treatments of certain cancers, especially those in the blood. However, wider applications for eradicating solid tumors have been slow to emerge. A likely reason is the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the tumor microenvironment that secrete immunosuppressive molecules which attenuate the attack of immune cells. We hypothesize that small molecule Wnt/Beta- Catenin inhibitors can be used to modulate the immunosuppressive actions of MDSCs and increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments, such as with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. The Wnt/Beta-Catenin Pathway has been shown to be a crucial driving force behind the …

Integration Of Native American Medicinal Plants Into The Heber W. Youngken Jr. Garden, Emily Lyn Murray

Senior Honors Projects

Healthcare among Native American tribes was focused on all aspects of a patient’s life, such as physical, spiritual, and environmental elements. Healthy outcomes were obtained by maintaining a balance among all of these components. This “bio-psycho-socio-spiritual” approach to healthcare was thought to not only play a role in the health of a certain individual, but the health of the tribe as a whole. An illness was not only precipitated by a physical source, but by an imbalance of these components. Medicinal plants served as an integral role in direct physical healing, as well as an important element for the execution …

The Characterization Of A New Metabolite From A Trichodesmium Bloom, Kelly M. Mcmanus

Senior Honors Projects

Our laboratory has been investigating blooms of Trichodesmium, a genus of ecologically important, nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, collected from Padre Island in the Gulf of Mexico. Trichodesmium species are an underexplored biological source of cyanobacteria – a taxa that has been shown to produce chemically diverse secondary metabolites. With our focus on the isolation and structure characterization of new bioactive marine natural products, our research group has discovered over 25 new-to-science compounds over the past three years from these blooms. UV and mass spectrometry-guided isolation of Trichodesmium chromatography fractions were utilized to isolate a new metabolite. Isolation of this metabolite was …

The Pharmacognosy And Therapeutic Efficacy Of Turmeric (Curcuma Longa): A Systematic Review, Maghan Ballantyne

Senior Honors Projects

Turmeric is a well-known natural product, native to Southeast Asia, commonly

used for a variety of cultural traditions and health benefits. Generally referred

to as curcumin, it is a member of the Zingiberaceae, or ginger family, utilized

for its roots and known for its vibrant yellow hue. Culturally, it is primarily

incorporated into cooking and as an integral part of religious rituals and

ceremonies. Chemically, turmeric is classified as a phenolic compound, made

up of many curcuminoids, each with varying levels of activity. Therapeutically,

its health benefits include anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperlipidemia, anti-oxidant

and anti-pruritic properties. The pharmacognosy of curcumin modulates

inflammatory …

The Effects Of Rhein And Thymoquinone On Obesity And Diabetes In Diet-Induced Obese Mice., Emily Martell

Senior Honors Projects

Natural product extracts and chemicals isolated from natural products (e.g. plants, berries, seeds) have been commonly used in various types of traditional medicines. In addition, some drugs on the market today have been derived from natural product sources. The purpose of our study was to evaluate two natural products, Rhein and Thymoquinone, for as potential anti-diabetic and anti–obesity agents. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of people in the US diagnosed with diabetes has increase from 11.9 million people in the year 2000 to 20.8 million people in the year 2011. Rhein is a natural compound …

Isolation And Structural Elucidation Of Phytochemicals Present In Red Maple Flowers, Holly Tran

Senior Honors Projects

Natural medicines and the use of botanical extracts in the prevention and treatment of ailments is globally gaining interest (Mazzio and Soliman, 2009). Detrimental side effects may be reduced using natural therapies (Desai et al., 2008). Worldwide, there are about 120 different maple species. Of those, thirteen are native to eastern North America (Maple Field Guide, 2002). Maple syrup is a natural sweetener derived from collected and concentrated maple tree sap. It takes about 40 liters of sap to make one liter of syrup. Maple plant parts have been used by Native Americans for medicinal purposes. The University of Rhode …