As cascavéis são classificadas como grupo monofilético contendo dois gêneros descritos ao grupo: Crotalus ssp. e Sistrurus ssp., os quais surgiram no México a aproximadamente 20 milhões de anos, colonizando então, praticamente todo o continente americano. Fatores como dieta, dimorfismo sexual, ontogenia, mutações e distribuição geográfica podem influenciar na composição dos venenos e consequentemente no envenenamento. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar o perfil proteico, bem como as propriedades enzimáticas e imunológicas dos venenos de algumas espécies e subespécies de Crotalus ssp. (C. atrox, C. scutulatus scutulatus, C. viridis viridis, C. vegrandis, C. durissus cascavella, C. d. collilineatus e C. d. terrificus). Os resultados indicaram pouca variabilidade entre os perfis eletroforéticos dos venenos, contudo as diferenças foram na concentração relativa das proteínas. A análises proteômica identificou alguns componentes dos venenos e serinopeptidases, metalopeptidases e fosfolipases A2 foram as mais abundantes. Além disso, por zimografia, observou-se que todos os venenos analisados apresentaram atividade proteolítica e que os venenos norte-americanos em todos os zimogramas foram mais hidrolíticos. Em caseína, a atividade enzimática dos venenos foi menos intensa comparado aos outros substratos. Em relação às gelatinases das amostras estudadas, pôde ser observado inibição da atividade enzimática induzida por alguns componentes utilizando EDTA, principalmente nos venenos de C. atrox e C. vegrandis. Em relação à inibição das serinopeptidases, foi observado que todas as gelatinases dos venenos crotálicos apresentaram inibição total ou parcial da atividade hidrolítica. Houve variabilidade entre as hialuronidases encontradas dos venenos crotálicos, tanto em relação à massa das enzimas e intensidade da degradação, quanto em diferentes pHs. Nos ensaios enzimáticos quantitativos (azocaseinolítico fosfolipásico e peptidásico) os venenos Norte Americanos demonstraram conter mais proteases em relação aos venenos Sul Americanos. Por Western Blotting, as amostras reagiram com os anticorpos presentes nos soros anti-crotálico e anti-botrópico, apresentando reatividade antigênica cruzada entre as amostras homólogas e heterólogas. Além disso, houve imunoreatividade entre o soro anti-jararagina e alguns componentes de todos os venenos crotálicos norte-americanos. / The rattlesnakes are classified as a monophyletic group containing two genera referring to the group: Crotalus ssp. and Sistrurus ssp., which arose in Mexico 20 millions of years ago, colonizing then, practically all the American continent. Some scientific works indicate that factors such as diet, sexual dimorphism, ontogeny, mutations and distribution may influence the composition of the venoms and consequently the poisoning. The present work aims to characterize the enzymatic and immunological properties of the venoms of some species and subspecies of Crotalus ssp. (C. atrox, C. scutulatus scutulatus, C. viridis viridis, C. vegrandis, C. durissus cascavella, C. collilineatus and C. d. terrificus). The results indicated few variability among the electrophoretic profiles of the venoms, however the differences were in the relative concentration of the proteins. The proteomic analysis identified serinopeptidases, metallopeptidases and phospholipases A2, which were the most abundant components of the venoms. In addition, zymography assays indicate that the all the venoms showed proteolytic activity, furthermore, the North American venoms, presented more hydrolysis in all zimograms. The caseinolytic activity was less intense compared with other substrates. Regarding the gelatinolytic activity of the samples, inhibition of the enzymatic activity of some components could be observed using EDTA, mainly in the C. atrox and C. vegrandis venoms. Partial or total inhibition was observed of the serinopeptidases activity of the crotalic gelatinases. Among the hyaluronidases, variations between crotalic venoms, in relation to the enzymes mass and degradation intensity were identified. In addition, when incubated at different pHs, the hyaluronidase profile presented different patterns in the activity. In the quantitative enzymatic assays (azocaseinolytic phospholipasic, peptidasic) the North American venoms displayed higher activity in relation to the South American venoms. In the Western Blotting assays, the samples reacted with antibodies present in the Brazilian anti-crotalic and bothropic sera, indicating cross-reactive antigenicity between the homologous and heterologous samples. Besides that, there was immunoreactivity between the anti-jararrhagin serum and some components of all North American crotalic venoms.

Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento e aplicações práticas de uma nova e simples metodologia eletroquímica para a determinação da capacidade antioxidante de moléculas modelo específicas e/ou algumas amostras complexas de alimentos normalmente consumidas no Brasil. Outros sistemas de interesse teórico ou tecnológico também foram investigados. O método se baseia no uso de uma quantidade conhecida de um íon inorgânico como oxidante e na determinação cronoamperométrica de sua concentração remanescente após reação com as espécies antioxidantes de interesse. Contudo, testes iniciais para diferentes marcas comerciais de sucos de laranjas usando Fe3+ como oxidante (ensaio FRAP modificado), só obtiveram êxito quando o antioxidante apresenta um comportamento eletroquímico totalmente irreversível como, por exemplo, o ácido ascórbico. Para superar esse problema, o ensaio foi então desenvolvido usando o Ce4+ como oxidante (ensaio CRAC) uma vez que sua redução após reação pode ser realizada em 0,8 V vs Ag/AgCl, uma região de potencial na qual não ocorre a redução das espécies formadas pela oxidação reversível ou quase reversível do antioxidante. Devido ao elevado potencial anódico requerido quando o Ce4+ é usado, foi necessário um filme de diamante dopado com boro como eletrodo de trabalho. Após uma rigorosa caracterização do sistema eletroquímico, foram realizadas determinações da capacidade antioxidante de oito compostos padrões (ácido ascórbico, ácido gálico, ácido tânico, BHA, catequina, quercetina, rutina e trolox), usando o ensaio CRAC. Os resultados mostraram uma correlação satisfatória com ensaios mais complexos reportados na literatura e foram aplicados em um conjunto de sucos de frutas industrializados, mostrando valores máximos com quase uma ordem de grandeza superior ao apresentado pelo composto de referência (trolox), com a seguinte seqüência de capacidade antioxidante: caju > goiaba > uva > manga > laranja > maracujá. Considerando a busca da indústria local de \"cachaça\" por madeiras alternativas em contrapartida aos tonéis de carvalho, o ensaio CRAC foi realizado usando quatro extratos etanólicos de madeiras brasileiras [Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), Imbuia (Octea porosa), Cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus) e Cabreúva-vermelha (Myroxylon balsamum)] assim como um extrato de Carvalho (Quercus sp), para comparação. Os resultados indicaram um aumento na capacidade antioxidante na ordem apresentada acima e, apesar da melhor amostra (Cabreúva-vermelha) ter apenas 60% da capacidade antioxidante apresentada pelo carvalho, sua disponibilidade e preço despertam o interesse por pesquisas futuras. Uma avaliação comparativa dos resultados obtidos usando os ensaios CRAC e DPPH foi realizado para extratos metanólicos de cana-de-açúcar e polpa de maracujá. Essa comparação revelou uma diferença quantitativa entre os valores dos ensaios, porém, a hierarquia foi mantida para cada conjunto de resultado. Esse efeito foi atribuído às diferenças nos mecanismos dominantes para a desativação radicalar, bem como para as condições experimentais de cada ensaio. A correlação entre a estrutura e a atividade antioxidante de moléculas modelo de flavonóides sob investigação foi relatada devido à presença de certos grupos substituintes na estrutura de difenilpirano. A atividade hierárquica para tais grupos foi estabelecida como: OH(C2´C4´) > OH(C4´) ~ OH(C3´C4´) > C2=C3 + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3) + 4-oxo > OH(C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5). A formação de complexos entre flavonóides e íons metálicos, tal como o Fe2+, tem um forte efeito sobre a capacidade antioxidante e o ensaio CRAC mostrou que para a morina, quercetina e fisetina, esse aumento foi de 15,3; 31,8 e 27,9%, respectivamente. Por outro lado, para a catequina e crisina, o aumento foi de apenas 1,8 e 7,8%, respectivamente. Esses aumentos foram relatados devido à presença de, pelo menos, um dos três tipos de sítios ativos na molécula polifenólica que interage com íons metálicos. Todos esses resultados confirmam que o ensaio CRAC é uma ferramenta simples e viável para a determinação da capacidade antioxidante de uma variedade de sistemas práticos e moléculas modelo. / This work describes the development and practical applications of a novel and simple electrochemical methodology for the determination of the antioxidant capacity of specific model molecules and/or some complex food samples currently consumed in Brazil. Other systems having either theoretical or technological interest were also investigated. The method is based on the use of a known amount of an inorganic ion as the oxidant and in the chronoamperometric determination of its remaining concentration after reaction with the chosen antioxidant species. However, initial tests for different commercial brands of orange juices using Fe3+ as the oxidant (modified FRAP assay) were only successful when the antioxidant has a totally irreversible electrochemical behavior as, for example, ascorbic acid. To overcome this problem, the assays were then performed using Ce4+ as the oxidant (the CRAC assay) since its reduction after reaction can be carried out at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl, a potential region where the reduction of species formed by the reversible or quasi-reversible oxidation of the antioxidant does not occur. Due to the high anodic potentials required when using Ce4+, it was necessary to have a boron-doped diamond film as the working electrode. After a rigorous characterization of the electrochemical systems, measurements of the antioxidant capacity of eight standard compounds (ascorbic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, BHA, catechin, quercetin, rutin and trolox) were carried out using the CRAC assay. The results showed a satisfactory correlation with those reported in the literature using other more complex assays and these studies were then applied to a set of industrialized fruit juices showing maximum values almost one order of magnitude higher than that of the reference compound (trolox) and following the antioxidant capacity sequence: cashew>guava>grape>mango>orange>passion fruit. Considering that the local \"cachaça\" industry is looking for alternative woods to the use of oak barrels, CRAC assays were carried out using four ethanol extracts of Brazilian woods [Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), Imbuia (Octea porosa), Cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus) e Cabreúva-vermelha (Myroxylon balsamum)] as well as an Oak (Quercus sp) extract, for comparison. The results indicate an increasing antioxidant capacity in the order presented above and, although the best sample (Cabreúva-vermelha) has only 60% of the capacity shown by oak, its local availability and price makes it interesting for further research. A comparative evaluation of the results obtained using the CRAC and the DPPH assays was carried out for methanol extracts of sugar cane juice and passion fruit pulp. That comparison revealed a quantitative difference between the assay values but the hierarchy was maintained for each set of results. Such effect was attributed to differences in the prevailing mechanism for radical deactivation, as well as, the experimental conditions used for each assay. The correlation between structure and antioxidant activity of model flavonoid molecules under investigation was related to the presence of certain groups in the diphenilpyrene structure. The activity hierarchy for them was established as: OH(C2´C4´) > OH(C4´) ~ OH(C3´C4´) > C2=C3 + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3) + 4-oxo > OH(C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5). The complex formation between flavonoids and metal ions, such as Fe2+, has a strong effect on the antioxidant capacity and CRAC assay showed that for morin, quercetin and fisetin the increase was 15.3, 31.8 and 27.9%, respectively. On the other hand, for catechin and chrysin the increase was only 1.8 and 7.8%, respectively. These increases were related to the presence of, at least, one of three types of active sites in the polyphenolic molecule that can interact with metal ions. All these findings confirm that the CRAC assay is simple and convenient tool for the determination of the antioxidant capacity of a variety of practical systems and model molecules.

Candida albicans is an opportunistic pathogen, which is responsible for causing systemic infection in immunocompromised patients in hospital settings (nosocomial infections). 90% of these nosocomial fungal infections are caused by C. albicans, and the estimated annual cost of treating them exceeds $1 billion per year. Despite this expenditure, there is a high mortality rate of 50%. There are two main routes of infections, first a mucosal infection that can spread and invades deeper into the tissues and gets disseminated into the bloodstream. Second, more frequently seen in hospital settings, is when Candida cells dislodge from a biofilm that has formed on intravenous devices or catheters. Treatment of these diseases is difficult due to a dearth of antifungal drugs and new strategies are required to explore mechanisms used by Candida in causing infection. One way of approaching these significant scientific challenges is to identify virulence determinants and mechanisms, which apart from providing insightful knowledge of fungal pathogenesis, can also be used as targets for antifungal drug development. The innate immune responses in humans, which are important for defense against fungal infections, are conserved in Caenorhabditis elegans. In order to identify Candida virulence factors, I have developed a C. elegans based pathogenesis assay, where nematodes were infected with fungi (both S. cerevisiae and C. albicans) and observed for disease phenotypes including death. This assay can be used to study several aspects of disease progression in worms from swelling (inflammation a bio-marker of infection) to colonization in the intestine, leading to intestinal distension and ultimately death of the host worm. The assay offers a fast and simple way of identifying unknown genes, which when established as a virulence determinant in the worm model, can be further studied in mammalian models. I demonstrate the utility of this assay in multiple ways. First as proof of principle using this assay I have identified a fungal mutant cap1, which is susceptible to reactive oxygen species (ROS), and fails to cause disease, except in bli-3 mutant worms that carry a mutation in an oxidase gene and is responsible for the oxidative stress. Second, we screened a library of ~1200 C. albicans mutants, and identified 7 genes, 3 known (CMP1, IFF11 and SAP 8), validating the assay and 4 novel genes (orf19.1219, orf19.6713, DOT4 and ZCF15) that play a role in fungal infection. Third use of this assay is to test potential drugs in a high throughput fashion. Families of related compounds were identified through a screen of 30,000 compounds, for their ability as potential inhibitors of C. albicans adhesion to biological and inert surfaces. These compounds were further tested in this assay for their ability to reduce infection of C. albicans in worms. The assay provides us with a method to test efficacy of antifungals in vivo. Finally, using the survival assay, a test for mortality caused by infection, we can observe disparity in the different C. albicans fluconazole resistant strains isolated from AIDS patients. In addition this assay after small modification can be potentially employed to screen the C. elegans RNAi library to identify the modulators of innate immune responses during fungal infection.

Nearly one billion people worldwide have a neurological disease, and one out of every six adults in the United States has a mental illness. For rare and severe neurodevelopmental disorders, like Timothy syndrome (TS), exact genetic causes have been identified and studied extensively. TS is caused by a single point mutation in CACNA1C, a voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC), which results in severe developmental defects, cardiac arrhythmia, and autism. Studies using patient derived cells are useful in identifying impaired cellular function, especially for TS and other neural activity-dependent disorders. Also, functional high-throughput screening assays that use disease-relevant cell types can lead to more targeted therapeutics that regulate cellular activity. Although these approaches are promising, cell-based assays do not consider the diversity of disease pathology or efficacy of broad-acting therapeutics in multi-cellular organisms. Therefore, we developed several whole-organism disease models using CRISPR-Cas9 and transgenes in the nematode C. elegans that harbor human VGCC mutations. We evaluated and identified behavioral, morphological, and functional phenotypes, and invented new high-throughput functional screening technologies to identify transient and potent suppressors of neural activity in these animals. We expect that these new disease models and methods will provide a pipeline for investigating activity- dependent neurological disorders in whole organisms to identify more effective therapeutics. Altogether, we aim to deepen our understanding about the brain and discover treatments for the millions of individuals that suffer from neurological disease.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process across eukaryotes that is responsible for degradation of cargo such as aggregate-prone proteins, pathogens, damaged organelles, macromolecules etc. via its delivery to lysosomes. The process is known to involve the formation of a double-membraned structure, called autophagosome, that engulfs the cargo destined for degradation and delivers its contents by fusing with lysosomes. This process involves several proteins at its core which include two transmembrane proteins, ATG9 and VMP1. While ATG9 and VMP1 has been discovered for about a decade and half, the trafficking and function of these proteins remain relatively unclear. My work in this thesis identifies and characterises a novel trafficking route for ATG9 and VMP1 and shows that both these proteins traffic via the dynamin-independent ARF6-associated pathway. Moreover, I also show that these proteins physically interact with each other. In addition, the tools developed during these studies helped me identify a new role for the most common autophagy receptor protein, p62. I show that p62 can specifically associate with and sequester LC3-I in autophagy-impaired cells (ATG9 and ATG16 null cells) leading to formation of LC3-positive structures that can be misinterpreted as mature autophagosomes. Perturbations in the levels of p62 were seen to affect the formation of these LC3-positive structures in cells. This observation, therefore, questions the reliability of LC3-immunofluorescence assays in autophagy-impaired cells as method of assessing autophagy and points towards the homeostatic function played by p62 in autophagy-impaired cells.

There is a disproportionate burden of disease (measured in daily-adjusted life years, or DALYs) in low-income countries. Much of this disparity is due to infectious diseases: 53% of DALYs in Africa are due to infectious diseases, compared with only 3% in the American continents. This disparity is largely due to differences in electrical and transport infrastructure as well as access to skilled personnel and monetary resources. Current diagnostic solutions are primarily designed for high-resource settings and therefore these solutions cannot be easily translated to a lower-resource setting. In order to tackle this health disparity, new solutions must be designed specifically for a lower-resource setting. In this dissertation, we take a translational approach to engineering appropriate diagnostics for resource-limited settings. First, we develop a handheld smartphone accessory to perform an assay similar to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), traditionally a laboratory-based test. In 15 minutes, it provides an objective diagnostic readout important for minimal training, while using an average of 1.6mW of power and costing only $34. We further develop the device to provide a quantitative hemoglobin measurement simultaneously with an HIV immunoassay, for use in antenatal care screening. The multiplexing two assay types that are clinically relevant has the potential to streamline workflow. While specifications can be demonstrated in the laboratory, the true test of the device must be performed in the field. We brought our smartphone accessory to three health centers in Kigali, Rwanda to be used by healthcare workers with no prior experience in ELISA. After a short 30 minute training, the healthcare workers were able to obtain diagnostic results comparable to other immunoassays run under field conditions. With a simple and user-friendly design, we sought to further expand the usage of our device as a self-testing device, having patients test themselves. Lastly, we explore manufacturable thermoplastics as a material for a microfluidic diagnostic for nucleic acid detection. The sum of this work aims to gain insight into methods of design, testing, and implementation of translational design.

The clinical management of Factor XI (FXI) deficiency is problematic due to the marked phenotypic heterogeneity between individuals with this disorder and the lack of a reliable test to predict bleeding risk. FXI-deficient individuals are currently at risk of being over- or under treated, with associated risks of transfusion-related complications or haemorrhage respectively. The improvement of care of FXI-deficient patients requires the development of measures that can predict bleeding phenotype and enable the identification of individuals who need treatment at times of haemostatic challenge. In addition, for those requiring treatment, there is a need for development of tests which can determine the optimal type and dose of FXI replacement on an individually tailored basis, as well as assays which can accurately monitor the effect of treatment and guide clinicians in the requirement for further perioperative treatment. This thesis addresses these objectives by studying global haemostasis assays and bleeding scores as tools to predict bleeding tendency and by studying the utility of global haemostasis assays as potential tests by which FXI replacement treatment can be determined and monitored. For prediction of bleeding tendency, this research demonstrated that the thrombin generation assay (TGA) was able to differentiate bleeding tendency provided the sample conditions used in the assay were optimised to assess FXI involved coagulation pathways thought to be of relevance in vivo: using platelet rich plasma with inhibition of in vitro contact activation and a low tissue factor trigger. Thromboelastometry measured using the same sample type was similarly able to distinguish bleeding phenotype. However, when the potential clinical utility of the assays was compared using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, thromboelastometry was inferior to TGA as an identifier of bleeding tendency. When the thromboelastometry sample type used was whole blood, or where assays were performed in the presence of tissue plasminogen activator the assays did not differentiate bleeding phenotype. For purposes of treatment planning, the potential of the TGA to determine the optimal dose of FXI replacement was assessed by in vitro spiking experiments using two commercially available FXI concentrates and samples from individuals with major FXI deficiency. Each concentrate improved thrombin generation, but dose response curves were found to differ, suggesting different properties for the two products. The clinical utility of the approach was then demonstrated with comparable TGA results obtained in ex vivo samples from patients treated with FXI concentrate and baseline samples spiked in vitro with equivalent amounts of the same FXI concentrate. The utility of global haemostasis assays to monitor the effect of FXI replacement in FXI-deficient individuals undergoing surgery was also tested. Improvement in assay parameters after treatment with solvent-detergent fresh frozen plasma or FXI concentrate was demonstrated suggesting assay value in FXI replacement monitoring. Finally the use of recently developed bleeding assessment tools and bleeding scores as descriptive, diagnostic or predictive measures was tested along with correlation with FXI:C levels and TGA parameters. This analysis confirmed that bleeding scores have a limited value in the clinical assessment of FXI deficiency.

Este trabalho descreve o desenvolvimento e aplicações práticas de uma nova e simples metodologia eletroquímica para a determinação da capacidade antioxidante de moléculas modelo específicas e/ou algumas amostras complexas de alimentos normalmente consumidas no Brasil. Outros sistemas de interesse teórico ou tecnológico também foram investigados. O método se baseia no uso de uma quantidade conhecida de um íon inorgânico como oxidante e na determinação cronoamperométrica de sua concentração remanescente após reação com as espécies antioxidantes de interesse. Contudo, testes iniciais para diferentes marcas comerciais de sucos de laranjas usando Fe3+ como oxidante (ensaio FRAP modificado), só obtiveram êxito quando o antioxidante apresenta um comportamento eletroquímico totalmente irreversível como, por exemplo, o ácido ascórbico. Para superar esse problema, o ensaio foi então desenvolvido usando o Ce4+ como oxidante (ensaio CRAC) uma vez que sua redução após reação pode ser realizada em 0,8 V vs Ag/AgCl, uma região de potencial na qual não ocorre a redução das espécies formadas pela oxidação reversível ou quase reversível do antioxidante. Devido ao elevado potencial anódico requerido quando o Ce4+ é usado, foi necessário um filme de diamante dopado com boro como eletrodo de trabalho. Após uma rigorosa caracterização do sistema eletroquímico, foram realizadas determinações da capacidade antioxidante de oito compostos padrões (ácido ascórbico, ácido gálico, ácido tânico, BHA, catequina, quercetina, rutina e trolox), usando o ensaio CRAC. Os resultados mostraram uma correlação satisfatória com ensaios mais complexos reportados na literatura e foram aplicados em um conjunto de sucos de frutas industrializados, mostrando valores máximos com quase uma ordem de grandeza superior ao apresentado pelo composto de referência (trolox), com a seguinte seqüência de capacidade antioxidante: caju > goiaba > uva > manga > laranja > maracujá. Considerando a busca da indústria local de \"cachaça\" por madeiras alternativas em contrapartida aos tonéis de carvalho, o ensaio CRAC foi realizado usando quatro extratos etanólicos de madeiras brasileiras [Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), Imbuia (Octea porosa), Cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus) e Cabreúva-vermelha (Myroxylon balsamum)] assim como um extrato de Carvalho (Quercus sp), para comparação. Os resultados indicaram um aumento na capacidade antioxidante na ordem apresentada acima e, apesar da melhor amostra (Cabreúva-vermelha) ter apenas 60% da capacidade antioxidante apresentada pelo carvalho, sua disponibilidade e preço despertam o interesse por pesquisas futuras. Uma avaliação comparativa dos resultados obtidos usando os ensaios CRAC e DPPH foi realizado para extratos metanólicos de cana-de-açúcar e polpa de maracujá. Essa comparação revelou uma diferença quantitativa entre os valores dos ensaios, porém, a hierarquia foi mantida para cada conjunto de resultado. Esse efeito foi atribuído às diferenças nos mecanismos dominantes para a desativação radicalar, bem como para as condições experimentais de cada ensaio. A correlação entre a estrutura e a atividade antioxidante de moléculas modelo de flavonóides sob investigação foi relatada devido à presença de certos grupos substituintes na estrutura de difenilpirano. A atividade hierárquica para tais grupos foi estabelecida como: OH(C2´C4´) > OH(C4´) ~ OH(C3´C4´) > C2=C3 + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3) + 4-oxo > OH(C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5). A formação de complexos entre flavonóides e íons metálicos, tal como o Fe2+, tem um forte efeito sobre a capacidade antioxidante e o ensaio CRAC mostrou que para a morina, quercetina e fisetina, esse aumento foi de 15,3; 31,8 e 27,9%, respectivamente. Por outro lado, para a catequina e crisina, o aumento foi de apenas 1,8 e 7,8%, respectivamente. Esses aumentos foram relatados devido à presença de, pelo menos, um dos três tipos de sítios ativos na molécula polifenólica que interage com íons metálicos. Todos esses resultados confirmam que o ensaio CRAC é uma ferramenta simples e viável para a determinação da capacidade antioxidante de uma variedade de sistemas práticos e moléculas modelo. / This work describes the development and practical applications of a novel and simple electrochemical methodology for the determination of the antioxidant capacity of specific model molecules and/or some complex food samples currently consumed in Brazil. Other systems having either theoretical or technological interest were also investigated. The method is based on the use of a known amount of an inorganic ion as the oxidant and in the chronoamperometric determination of its remaining concentration after reaction with the chosen antioxidant species. However, initial tests for different commercial brands of orange juices using Fe3+ as the oxidant (modified FRAP assay) were only successful when the antioxidant has a totally irreversible electrochemical behavior as, for example, ascorbic acid. To overcome this problem, the assays were then performed using Ce4+ as the oxidant (the CRAC assay) since its reduction after reaction can be carried out at 0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl, a potential region where the reduction of species formed by the reversible or quasi-reversible oxidation of the antioxidant does not occur. Due to the high anodic potentials required when using Ce4+, it was necessary to have a boron-doped diamond film as the working electrode. After a rigorous characterization of the electrochemical systems, measurements of the antioxidant capacity of eight standard compounds (ascorbic acid, gallic acid, tannic acid, BHA, catechin, quercetin, rutin and trolox) were carried out using the CRAC assay. The results showed a satisfactory correlation with those reported in the literature using other more complex assays and these studies were then applied to a set of industrialized fruit juices showing maximum values almost one order of magnitude higher than that of the reference compound (trolox) and following the antioxidant capacity sequence: cashew>guava>grape>mango>orange>passion fruit. Considering that the local \"cachaça\" industry is looking for alternative woods to the use of oak barrels, CRAC assays were carried out using four ethanol extracts of Brazilian woods [Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), Imbuia (Octea porosa), Cabreúva (Myrocarpus frondosus) e Cabreúva-vermelha (Myroxylon balsamum)] as well as an Oak (Quercus sp) extract, for comparison. The results indicate an increasing antioxidant capacity in the order presented above and, although the best sample (Cabreúva-vermelha) has only 60% of the capacity shown by oak, its local availability and price makes it interesting for further research. A comparative evaluation of the results obtained using the CRAC and the DPPH assays was carried out for methanol extracts of sugar cane juice and passion fruit pulp. That comparison revealed a quantitative difference between the assay values but the hierarchy was maintained for each set of results. Such effect was attributed to differences in the prevailing mechanism for radical deactivation, as well as, the experimental conditions used for each assay. The correlation between structure and antioxidant activity of model flavonoid molecules under investigation was related to the presence of certain groups in the diphenilpyrene structure. The activity hierarchy for them was established as: OH(C2´C4´) > OH(C4´) ~ OH(C3´C4´) > C2=C3 + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3) + 4-oxo > OH(C5) + 4-oxo > OH(C3,C5). The complex formation between flavonoids and metal ions, such as Fe2+, has a strong effect on the antioxidant capacity and CRAC assay showed that for morin, quercetin and fisetin the increase was 15.3, 31.8 and 27.9%, respectively. On the other hand, for catechin and chrysin the increase was only 1.8 and 7.8%, respectively. These increases were related to the presence of, at least, one of three types of active sites in the polyphenolic molecule that can interact with metal ions. All these findings confirm that the CRAC assay is simple and convenient tool for the determination of the antioxidant capacity of a variety of practical systems and model molecules.

As our understanding of the complexities of cancer biology has increased, the ability to exploit unique features of tumour cells with molecularly targeted therapies has become a reality. However, despite unprecedented volumes of new molecules in clinical trials, the number of highly effective drugs approved by the regulatory authorities remains disappointingly low. Moreover, oncology drug development is plagued by high levels of attrition in late phase clinical development. Failure due to poor efficacy and toxicity issues are not believed to be a result of the development of molecules with inadequate pharmaceutical properties, but rather due to a lack of understanding of their full mechanism of action. All of this points to imprecise analysis of the drugs during the preclinical phase, highlighting the need for better preclinical drug development tools. Animal models provide a key preclinical tool, and as a therapeutic area, oncology is characterised by models which are not predictive of the true human pathology. Overexpression of the human epidermal growth factor receptor two (HER2) oncogene, and inactivation of the phosphatase and tensin (PTEN) tumour suppressor, are two important events in human breast cancer. A novel conditional mouse model driven by overexpression of HER2 coupled with / without the loss of PTEN has been characterised to interrogate the importance of these two cellular perturbations. Multifocal tumours arose in mice from both lines, while luminal tumour characteristics were shown to be reduced and basal characteristics increased with a reduction in PTEN expression. Disruption of PTEN rapidly accelerated tumour onset (from 138 to 82 days) and tumour growth (with the time from tumour onset to maximum tumour size reduced from 38 to 21 days), significantly reducing overall survival (from 165 to 102 days). The ability of tumour cells to colonize the lungs was not significantly affected by the loss of PTEN. Tumours arising in both mice genotypes were utilized to generate cell lines. These failed to provide an in vitro representation of the tumours, and found little utility in drug efficacy studies with HER family targeted agents, a situation which could be improved by the use of different culture methods. Since suppression of apoptosis is a hallmark of human cancer, and a desired endpoint of many anticancer therapies is the induction of cell death, the generation of cell lines inherently capable of sensing caspase-mediated apoptotic cell death would be a valuable drug development tool. Given that fluorescence imaging is also emerging as a potentially powerful modality for preclinical drug development, a novel fluorescent in house apoptosis reporter construct was generated (pCasFSwitch). Initial validation of pCasFSwitch by transient transfection into murine mammary carcinoma cells proved difficult due to transfection associated toxicity, yet proof-of-principle was indicated. Transfer of pCasFSwitch into a retroviral backbone vector enabled the generation of stably transfected squamous carcinoma cells more suitable for further analysis. Incubation of lysates from these cells with recombinant enzymes revealed the construct could be cleaved by caspase-3, but not by other members of the cysteine protease family. Furthermore, assessment of apoptosis levels in the cells upon staurosporine treatment proved the utility of the construct to quantify cell death, and was validated against data generated with a commercial competitor, NucView. Further comparison of the specificity of the imaging agents using caspase inhibitors was limited by the functionality of currently available inhibitors, but did reveal that in common with NucView, construct quantified levels of apoptosis were affected by inhibition. This thesis details the development of two preclinical drug development tools. A novel mouse model enables biological interrogation of two key events in human breast carcinogenesis. Since PTEN loss is associated with resistance to HER2 targeted therapies, it is ideally suited for efficacy testing to overcome such resistance. The in house fluorescent apoptosis imaging agent allows a temporal read-out of drug effects in live single cells. While the use of intravital imaging of stable cell lines implanted under imaging windows would allow in vivo validation of in vitro data. Taken together, such facilitation of thorough evaluation of therapies at the preclinical stage, will reduce the adverse effects felt by the pharmaceutical industry of failure late in the drug development pipeline.

As cascavéis são classificadas como grupo monofilético contendo dois gêneros descritos ao grupo: Crotalus ssp. e Sistrurus ssp., os quais surgiram no México a aproximadamente 20 milhões de anos, colonizando então, praticamente todo o continente americano. Fatores como dieta, dimorfismo sexual, ontogenia, mutações e distribuição geográfica podem influenciar na composição dos venenos e consequentemente no envenenamento. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo caracterizar o perfil proteico, bem como as propriedades enzimáticas e imunológicas dos venenos de algumas espécies e subespécies de Crotalus ssp. (C. atrox, C. scutulatus scutulatus, C. viridis viridis, C. vegrandis, C. durissus cascavella, C. d. collilineatus e C. d. terrificus). Os resultados indicaram pouca variabilidade entre os perfis eletroforéticos dos venenos, contudo as diferenças foram na concentração relativa das proteínas. A análises proteômica identificou alguns componentes dos venenos e serinopeptidases, metalopeptidases e fosfolipases A2 foram as mais abundantes. Além disso, por zimografia, observou-se que todos os venenos analisados apresentaram atividade proteolítica e que os venenos norte-americanos em todos os zimogramas foram mais hidrolíticos. Em caseína, a atividade enzimática dos venenos foi menos intensa comparado aos outros substratos. Em relação às gelatinases das amostras estudadas, pôde ser observado inibição da atividade enzimática induzida por alguns componentes utilizando EDTA, principalmente nos venenos de C. atrox e C. vegrandis. Em relação à inibição das serinopeptidases, foi observado que todas as gelatinases dos venenos crotálicos apresentaram inibição total ou parcial da atividade hidrolítica. Houve variabilidade entre as hialuronidases encontradas dos venenos crotálicos, tanto em relação à massa das enzimas e intensidade da degradação, quanto em diferentes pHs. Nos ensaios enzimáticos quantitativos (azocaseinolítico fosfolipásico e peptidásico) os venenos Norte Americanos demonstraram conter mais proteases em relação aos venenos Sul Americanos. Por Western Blotting, as amostras reagiram com os anticorpos presentes nos soros anti-crotálico e anti-botrópico, apresentando reatividade antigênica cruzada entre as amostras homólogas e heterólogas. Além disso, houve imunoreatividade entre o soro anti-jararagina e alguns componentes de todos os venenos crotálicos norte-americanos. / The rattlesnakes are classified as a monophyletic group containing two genera referring to the group: Crotalus ssp. and Sistrurus ssp., which arose in Mexico 20 millions of years ago, colonizing then, practically all the American continent. Some scientific works indicate that factors such as diet, sexual dimorphism, ontogeny, mutations and distribution may influence the composition of the venoms and consequently the poisoning. The present work aims to characterize the enzymatic and immunological properties of the venoms of some species and subspecies of Crotalus ssp. (C. atrox, C. scutulatus scutulatus, C. viridis viridis, C. vegrandis, C. durissus cascavella, C. collilineatus and C. d. terrificus). The results indicated few variability among the electrophoretic profiles of the venoms, however the differences were in the relative concentration of the proteins. The proteomic analysis identified serinopeptidases, metallopeptidases and phospholipases A2, which were the most abundant components of the venoms. In addition, zymography assays indicate that the all the venoms showed proteolytic activity, furthermore, the North American venoms, presented more hydrolysis in all zimograms. The caseinolytic activity was less intense compared with other substrates. Regarding the gelatinolytic activity of the samples, inhibition of the enzymatic activity of some components could be observed using EDTA, mainly in the C. atrox and C. vegrandis venoms. Partial or total inhibition was observed of the serinopeptidases activity of the crotalic gelatinases. Among the hyaluronidases, variations between crotalic venoms, in relation to the enzymes mass and degradation intensity were identified. In addition, when incubated at different pHs, the hyaluronidase profile presented different patterns in the activity. In the quantitative enzymatic assays (azocaseinolytic phospholipasic, peptidasic) the North American venoms displayed higher activity in relation to the South American venoms. In the Western Blotting assays, the samples reacted with antibodies present in the Brazilian anti-crotalic and bothropic sera, indicating cross-reactive antigenicity between the homologous and heterologous samples. Besides that, there was immunoreactivity between the anti-jararrhagin serum and some components of all North American crotalic venoms.