The rising use of natural products creates an imperative need for an enhanced awareness of the safety of current and new products making their way into the marketplace. An important example is natural products containing lignans as the principal active component. Despite their structural similarity the lignan of creosote bush can cause hepato- and renal toxicity while the lignans of flaxseed have no reported serious toxicity. This dissertation aimed to investigate the oxidative metabolism of such lignans to determine whether reversible, competitive interactions and/or bioactivation may explain the differences in their apparent toxicity.<p> The first objective was to study the metabolism and bioactivation of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (creosote bush) and secoisolariciresinol (flaxseed). Nordihydroguaiaretic acid metabolism in rat liver microsomes led to the production of three glutathione adducts formed via ortho¬-quinone reactive intermediates. This metabolism was independent of NADPH and thus attributed to autoxidation. Secoisolariciresinol metabolism yielded lariciresinol and no glutathione adducts suggesting an absence of bioactivation to reactive quinone intermediates.<p> The second objective was to study the autoxidation of nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The major autoxidation product was a unique, stable schisandrin-like cyclolignan which was the result of nordihydroguaiaretic acid cyclization. The half-life of nordihydroguaiaretic acid in aqueous solution, pH 7.4, 37ºC is 3.14 hours suggesting the cyclolignan may be responsible for some of the biological effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid.<p> The third objective was to study the inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms 1A2, 2B, 2C11 and 3A by lignans derived from creosote bush and flaxseed. None of the lignans caused irreversible inhibition. Both creosote bush and flaxseed lignans caused reversible inhibition of P450 enzyme activity that involved competitive or mixed-type inhibition, however the inhibition was present at nonphysiologically relevant concentrations. Activation of cytochrome P450 isoforms was also observed at low lignan concentrations. The results suggest that P450-mediated bioactivation or reversible inhibition cannot explain the differences in toxicity noted between the lignans of creosote bush and flaxseed.<p> This work suggests a minimal risk for drug-lignan interactions at P450 enzymes. Further studies are warranted to determine the presence and biological and toxicological role of the nordihydroguaiaretic acid cyclolignan in herbal preparations.

The rising use of natural products creates an imperative need for an enhanced awareness of the safety of current and new products making their way into the marketplace. An important example is natural products containing lignans as the principal active component. Despite their structural similarity the lignan of creosote bush can cause hepato- and renal toxicity while the lignans of flaxseed have no reported serious toxicity. This dissertation aimed to investigate the oxidative metabolism of such lignans to determine whether reversible, competitive interactions and/or bioactivation may explain the differences in their apparent toxicity.<p> The first objective was to study the metabolism and bioactivation of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (creosote bush) and secoisolariciresinol (flaxseed). Nordihydroguaiaretic acid metabolism in rat liver microsomes led to the production of three glutathione adducts formed via ortho¬-quinone reactive intermediates. This metabolism was independent of NADPH and thus attributed to autoxidation. Secoisolariciresinol metabolism yielded lariciresinol and no glutathione adducts suggesting an absence of bioactivation to reactive quinone intermediates.<p> The second objective was to study the autoxidation of nordihydroguaiaretic acid. The major autoxidation product was a unique, stable schisandrin-like cyclolignan which was the result of nordihydroguaiaretic acid cyclization. The half-life of nordihydroguaiaretic acid in aqueous solution, pH 7.4, 37ºC is 3.14 hours suggesting the cyclolignan may be responsible for some of the biological effects of nordihydroguaiaretic acid.<p> The third objective was to study the inhibition of cytochrome P450 isoforms 1A2, 2B, 2C11 and 3A by lignans derived from creosote bush and flaxseed. None of the lignans caused irreversible inhibition. Both creosote bush and flaxseed lignans caused reversible inhibition of P450 enzyme activity that involved competitive or mixed-type inhibition, however the inhibition was present at nonphysiologically relevant concentrations. Activation of cytochrome P450 isoforms was also observed at low lignan concentrations. The results suggest that P450-mediated bioactivation or reversible inhibition cannot explain the differences in toxicity noted between the lignans of creosote bush and flaxseed.<p> This work suggests a minimal risk for drug-lignan interactions at P450 enzymes. Further studies are warranted to determine the presence and biological and toxicological role of the nordihydroguaiaretic acid cyclolignan in herbal preparations.

A significant focus of nucleic acids research is on the reactivity of electrophilic species with DNA to form addition products (adducts). Phenols are known to be able to form adducts at the C8 site of deoxyguanosine (dG). This dissertation studies the oxygen (O)-linked class of phenolic dG adducts for their hydrolytic stability as well as their structural impact on the DNA duplex. To determine the effect of C8 O-linked phenolic dG adducts on glycosidic bond stability spectrophotometric determination of hydrolysis kinetics was performed. The kinetics establish the adducts to be less stable than native dG in acid, but surprisingly stable under physiological conditions. Then to assess the modified duplex structure, a C8 O-linked phenolic dG adduct was incorporated into a DNA duplex. Thermal melting analysis establish the adduct as having a destabilizing effect on the regularly paired duplex and the conformational analysis suggests the phenolic lesion to be weakly mutagenic. / NSERC

A laser flash photolysis resonance fluorescence (LFP-RF) technique has been employed to study the kinetics of the reactions of methylvinyl ketone (MVK) with atomic bromine (Br) and atomic chlorine (Cl) as a function of temperature (203 755 K) and pressure (12 600 Torr) in nitrogen bath gas. The results of this study are also compared to published kinetics studies for similar reactions. Over the temperature range 200 K < T < 250 K for the reaction of Br with MVK, measured rate coefficients were pressure dependent suggesting the formation of an adduct. The adduct undergoes dissociation on the time scale of the experiments (< 0.1 s) and establishes an equilibrium between Br, MVK, and MVK Br. At temperatures above 298 K no reaction of Br with MVK was observed. Similarly, over the temperature range 405 K < T < 510 K, the reaction of Cl with MVK shows similar kinetics to that of Br and MVK suggesting an equilibrium is established. Equilibrium constants for adduct dissociation and formation are determined for the forward and reverse rate coefficients in both reactions. Second and third-law analyses are carried out to obtain information about the thermochemistry of the equilibrium reactions for Br with MVK and Cl with MVK. Adduct bond strengths of Br and Cl reactions with MVK are reported and compared to reactions with other unsaturated species. Ab initio calculations for these reactions are also presented in this study. Excellent agreement is observed between theory and experiment. Additionally, a reaction of Cl with MVK was observed over the temperature ranges 600 K < T < 760 K and 210 K < T < 365 K. At the lower temperatures, measured rate coefficients are also pressure dependent, however, the adduct remained stable. At the highest temperatures, the measured rate coefficients were pressure independent, suggesting hydrogen abstraction as the dominant reaction pathway. Energetics obtained from ab initio calculations suggest that only abstraction of the methyl hydrogen is likely to occur at a measurable rate in the temperature range investigated.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:21:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 ArquivoTotal.pdf: 3274931 bytes, checksum: fad3ac5b146d775c69dcf930c8894e4e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This work aimed to perform the kinetic bioresolution of Morita Baylis Hillman adducts (MBHA) using CALB lipase derived from Candida Antarctica fungus. Initially three MBHA we synthesized using acrylonitrile and m e p nitro benzaldehyde. Subsequently the respective acetates from MBHA were prepared in high yields using acetyl chloride and TEA. Methodologies for bioresolution of AMBH (obtained from nitro aldehydes m e p) were successfully developed producing the R enantiomers with 99.9% of enantiomeric excess determined by gas chromatography (using the beta cyclodextrin chiral column). However, using the same methodology it was not possible performed the bioresolution of AMBH derived from the o-benzaldehyde. To obtain the S enantiomers, the hydrolysis reactions of esters obtained from biocatalysis were made and separated by liquid chromatography. These hydrolysis reactions were carried out using K2CO3 and methanol, yielding the S enantiomers with 100% and 10% of chemical yields and 86.8% and 97.48% of enantiomeric excesses respectively. Using the method of Mosher through double derivatization chemical shift values obtained from 1H NMR spectra generated a NORS> and NORS 0 <0, which indicates that the absolute configuration of the asymmetric carbon of AMBH hydrolyzed by enzyme is R. The values of [S] D derived from m and p nitro aldehydes (S configuration) are +37 and +30 degrees. The values of [S] D of S corresponding acetates are -7 and -9 degrees respectively. The AMBH obtained from the m nitro aldehyde were bioavaliados in vitro in a R/S, R and S forms. The racemate was the most effective on L. braziliensis promastigotes and the S enantiomer was the lowest active. In the cell cytotoxicity analysis which were evaluated in the safe murine macrophages, the racemate was the most cytotoxic and the S enantiomer the less cytotoxic (some cytotoxicity were only observed at concentrations over 40 mg/mL) concluding that all evaluated compounds were more cytotoxic for L. braziliensis parasite that the safe macrophage. / Nesse trabalho visou-se a bio-resolução cinética dos Adutos de Morita Baylis Hillman (AMBH) utilizando a Lipase CALB derivada do fungo Candida Antarctica. Inicialmente foram sintetizados três AMBH usando acrilonitrila e os respectivos o, m e p nitrobenzaldeídos. Subsequentemente os seus respectivos acetatos foram preparados em altos rendimentos, usando cloreto de acetila e TEA. Foram desenvolvidas com êxito, metodologias para a bio-resolução dos AMBH oriundos dos nitroaldeídos m e p, obtendo os enantiômeros R com excessos enantioméricos de 99,9%, determinados pela técnica de cromatografia gasosa, usando à coluna quiral beta ciclodextrina e fase móvel (N2). Porém usando as metodologias acima não foi possível a bio-resolução do AMBH derivado do o-benzaldeído. Para obter os enantiômeros S, foram feitas as reações de hidrólise dos respectivos ésteres devidamente separados por cromatografia líquida das reações de biocatálise. As reações de hidrólise foram feitas usando K2CO3 e metanol, obtendo-se os enantiômeros S com rendimentos químicos de 100% e 10% e excessos enantioméricos de 86,8% e 97,48% respectivamente. Usando o método de Mosher através da dupla derivatização os valores de deslocamentos químicos obtidos dos espectros de RMN1H geraram um NORS>0 e NORS<0, o que demonstra que a configuração absoluta do carbono assimétrico dos AMBH os quais a enzima hidrolisou é R. Os valores de [S]D oriundos dos AMBH nitroaldeídos m e p (configuração R) são +37 e +30. Os valores de [S]D dos correspondentes acetatos S são -7 e -9 respectivamente. O AMBH oriundo do m-nitroaldeído nas formas R/S, R e S foram bioavaliados in vitro. A mistura racêmica foi a que se apresentou mais efetiva sobre promastigotas de L. braziliensis, e a substância S foi a que apresentou a menor atividade. Na análise de citotoxicidade celular no macrófago sadio de murinos observou-se que a mistura racêmica foi a mais citotóxica e o S o menos citotóxico (citotoxidade apenas a partir da concentração de 40 Xg/mL) constatando que todas as substâncias avaliadas foram mais citotóxicas para o parasita do que para macrófagos.

[pt] A utilização de drogas à base de platina é o tratamento de primeira linha para diversos tipos de câncer. Pacientes tratados com estas drogas apresentam resultados melhores que os obtidos com outros regimes de quimioterapia para os mesmos tipos de malignidades. As principais limitações para a utilização destes compostos são os efeitos colaterais severos e a resistência dos tumores ao tratamento. A cisplatina foi a primeira droga dessa categoria a ser empregada. Desde o final dos anos 70 até hoje, esta droga vem sendo amplamente utilizada e com sucesso substancial. Acredita-se que o principal mecanismo de ação desta classe de medicamentos seja a ligação de dois sítios ativos da platina com o DNA das células tumorais, impedindo sua multiplicação e finalmente induzindo a apoptose, o que provoca a redução, e em alguns casos a eliminação, dos tumores. Entretanto, devido à complexidade dos mecanismos envolvidos, uma descrição clara da atuação intracelular destas drogas ainda não foi estabelecida. A combinação de técnicas de separação como eletroforese ou cromatografia líquida de alta performance com técnicas de espectrometria atômica tem se apresentado como uma poderosa alternativa para investigação de fenômenos biológicos que envolvem, de alguma maneira, espécies metálicas. A hifenação destas técnicas permite a separação e detecção em linha de biomoléculas contendo metais, possibilitando a obtenção de informações únicas sobre os processos biológicos. O presente trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de métodos analíticos utilizando eletroforese em gel de agarose (GE), cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência (HPLC) e espectrometria de massa com plasma indutivamente acoplado (ICP-MS) para a determinação de biomoléculas contendo platina em materiais biológicos. O principal objetivo do trabalho é fornecer ferramentas analíticas para o estudo dos mecanismos de ação de drogas à base de platina em humanos. Foram utilizados diversos materiais biológicos, como sangue, urina e culturas de células. A cromatografia líquida em fase reversa foi usada na determinação das drogas intactas e de seus produtos de hidrólise; a cromatografia de exclusão por tamanho foi empregada para a avaliação de proteínas presentes nas amostras enquanto a cromatografia de par iônico para separação de fragmentos de DNA. A detecção de platina nos eluatos por ICP-MS permitiu a obtenção de cromatogramas limpos apresentando claramente as moléculas contendo platina. A evidência da aplicabilidade dos métodos desenvolvidos foi avaliada com a prospecção de biomarcadores de eficiência do tratamento com cisplatina. Diversas linhagens celulares foram expostas a diferentes tratamentos com cisplatina e tiveram seus comportamentos avaliados. A determinação de adutos de DNA contendo platina apresentou-se como uma interessante perspectiva para a obtenção de um biomarcador de resistência ao tratamento com cisplatina. / [en] The use of platinum-based drugs is the first line treatment for many cancers. Patients treated with these drugs present better outcome when compared with other chemotherapy regimens for the same types of malignancies. The major limitations to the use of these drugs are the severe side effects and resistance tumors present to the treatment. Cisplatin was the first platinum-based drug to be approved for human use. Since the late 1970 s until today, this drug has been widely used with great success. It is believed that the major mechanism of action of these drugs is the binding of two active sites of platinum complexes with the DNA of the tumor cells, preventing their multiplication and finally inducing apoptosis, that leads to a reduction, and in some cases eliminating, tumors. However, due to the complexity of the mechanisms involved, a clear description of the intracellular action of these drugs has not been established. The combination of separation techniques such as electrophoresis or high performance liquid chromatography with atomic spectrometric techniques has emerged as a powerful alternative for investigation metal-related biological phenomena. The so called hyphenation of these techniques allows the separation and detection of biomolecules containing metals, making possible to obtain unique information about biological processes. This work presents the development of analytical methodologies using agarose gel electrophoresis (GE), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and inductively coupled plasma with mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for the determination of platinum-containing biomolecules in biological materials. The main objective of this work is to provide analytical tools for the study of the mechanisms of action of platinum-based drugs in humans. Various biological materials such as blood, urine and cell cultures were used. Reverse phase liquid chromatography was used for the determination of intact drugs and its hydrolysis products; size exclusion chromatography was used to assess the protein profile in samples while the ion-pair chromatography for separation of DNA fragments. The detection of platinum in the eluates by ICP-MS allowed the obtention of clean chromatograms clearly presenting the platinum-containing molecules. The evidence of the applicability of the developed methods was assessed with the search for biomarkers of efficacy of treatment with cisplatin. Several cell lines were exposed to different treatments of cisplatin and their behavior were evaluated. The determination of DNA adducts containing platinum presented an interesting approach for obtaining a marker of resistance to cisplatin treatment.

While the spin trapping properties of thiols have been investigated through EPR analysis and kinetics studies, few groups have studied these properties using strictly computational methods. In particular, α-lipoic acid (ALA) and its reduced form, dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), one of the strongest endogenously produced antioxidants, show potential for being effective, naturally occurring spin traps for the trapping of reactive oxygen species. This research covers electronic structure calculations of ALA, DHLA, and their corresponding hydroxyl radical spin adducts, performed at the cc-pVDZ/B3LYP/DFT level of theory. The effects on DHLA introduced by other radicals such as ·OOH, ·OCH3, and ·OOCH3 are reported. Explicit solvation was carried out using open-source molecular packing software and was studied using MOPAC PM6 semi-empirical geometry optimizations. Complete Basis Set (CBS) limit extrapolations were performed using cc-pVXZ (X = D, T, Q) Dunning basis sets under the DFT/B3LYP level of theory, and results are compared to the literature.

Les facteurs endogènes et exogènes induisent diverses modifications chimiques et structurales dans l’ADN cellulaire et sont à l’origine de nombreuses erreurs lors de la réplication et de la division cellulaire. Elles sont souvent à l’origine de cancers et de maladies chroniques liées à l’âge. Les agents alkylants induisent des lésions complexes de l’ADN. Ils sont utilisés comme des outils efficaces dans les traitements par chimiothérapies. Les deux caractéristiques majeures des lésions complexes de l’ADN sont d’une part l’encombrement et d’autre part la présence de plus d’une modification dans un tour d’hélice. Les données biochimiques et génétiques montrent que l’élimination des dommages complexes de l’ADN nécessitent plusieurs voies de réparation distinctes. Les caractéristiques cliniques des maladies héréditaires caractérisées par des désordres de réparation de l’ADN, comme l’anémie de Fanconi et le syndrome de Cockayne, visent la nature complexe des lésions oxydatives endogène incluant les adduits encombrants et les pontages interbrins (PIBs). D’autre part, les effets biologiques sévères des agents ionisants, des traitements de chimiothérapie et des cancérigènes environnementaux sont impliqués dans la formation de cassures double brins, des PIBs et des adduits encombrants. Bien que ces derniers représentent une faible proportion des dommages de l’ADN induit par stress oxydatif et les agents chimiques dans les cellules, ils sont extrêmement cytotoxiques s’ils ne sont pas réparés. Par exemple, les cellules cancéreuses sont très sensibles aux PIBs et aux cassures double brins. Alors que la consommation de produits contenant de l’acide aristolochique (AA), qui génère des adduits encombrants dans l’ADN cellulaire, peut être à l’origine de neuropathies et a été associé à une cancérogénèse plus élevée que la fumée de cigarette. L’objectif majeur de ce projet est l’étude de la réparation des lésions complexes de l’ADN et leur implication dans le développement des cancers et leur thérapie. Dans cette présente étude, nous nous sommes intéressés aux mécanismes moléculaires de la réparation des PIBs et des adduits encombrants de l’ADN et leurs possibles rôles dans la chimio- et radiorésistance acquise. De plus, nous avons étudié le mécanisme moléculaire impliqué dans la mutagénèse induite par la réparation aberrante des adduits encombrants initiée par des ADN glycosylases de la voie BER dans des cellules bactériennes et de mammifères. Durant les trois années de thèse, (i) j’ai construit et caractérisé différents substrats d’ADN contenant diverses bases oxydées, des PIBs induits par le psoralène, des adduits encombrants aristolactame et des photoproduits issus des UV, (ii) j’ai purifié divers ADN glycosylases recombinantes (TDG, MBD4, NEIL1 et NEIL3), (iii) j’ai reconstruit in vitro la réparation des lésions de l’ADN et (iv) j’ai également étudié les interactions protéine-protéine et les modifications post-traductionnelles des protéines impliquées dans la réparation des PIBs générés par le cisplatine initiée par les ADN glycosylases NEIL1 et NEIL3. En combinant les différentes approches développées dans notre laboratoire, nous avons identifié et caractérisé des voies de réparation alternatives impliquées dans l’élimination des dommages complexes de l’ADN. Les résultats obtenus dans ce travail permettraient de comprendre la mécanistique du développement de certains cancers et à identifier les facteurs associés à la chimio- radiorésistance des cellules cancéreuses et par conséquent contribuer au développement de nouvelles préventions de stratégies thérapeutiques. / Endogenous and exogenous mutagenic factors induce variety of chemical and structural modifications in cellular DNA that are at the origin of errors that occur during DNA replication and cell division and often give rise to cancer and other age-related chronic diseases. Importantly, alkylating agents which induce complex DNA lesions are used as a powerful tool for anti-cancer chemotherapy. Two most important features of complex DNA lesions are their bulky character and presence of more than one modification within one turn of DNA helix. Genetic and biochemical data indicate that the elimination of complex DNA lesions requires several distinct DNA repair pathways. The clinical features of inherited human DNA repair deficient disorders such as Fanconi anemia and Cockayne syndrome point to complex nature of endogenous oxidative DNA damage which include bulky adducts and inter-strand DNA crosslinks (ICLs). On the other hand, severe biological effects of ionizing radiation, anticancer drugs and environmental carcinogens are correlated with formation of dirty DNA strand breaks, ICLs and bulky adducts. Although complex lesions typically constitute relatively small fraction of the total DNA damage induced by oxidative stress and drugs in cells, they are extremely cytotoxic if not repaired. For example, cancer cells are primarily very sensitive to ICLs and dirty DNA strand breaks. While, consumption of products containing aristolochic acid (AA), which generates bulky adenine DNA adducts in cellular DNA, can cause neuropathy and has been associated with higher risk of cancer than cigarette smoking. The major objective of the present project is to study the repair of complex DNA lesions and their implications in cancer development and therapy. Here, we investigated molecular mechanisms of the repair of ICLs and bulky DNA lesions and their possible role in the acquired chemo-resistance of cancer cells. In addition, we studied the molecular mechanism of mutagenesis induced by the aberrant DNA glycosylase-mediated BER towards bulky adducts in bacterial and mammalian cells. During three years of the project, I have (i) constructed and characterized DNA substrates containing various oxidized bases, psoralen-derived ICLs, bulky aristolactam-adenine adducts and UV photoproducts; (ii) purified several recombinant human DNA glycosylases (TDG, MBD4. NEIL1 and NEIL3); (iii) reconstituted in vitro the repair of complex DNA lesions; and finally (iv) studied the protein-protein interactions and post-translational protein modifications involved in the DNA glycosylases NEIL1 and NEIL3 initiated repair of cis-platinum induced ICLs. By combining the approaches developed in our laboratories we have identified and characterized alternative DNA repair pathways involved in the cellular processing of complex DNA damage. The results obtained in present work can provide mechanistic understanding of the development of certain cancer and lead to identification of the factors associated with the acquired chemo- and radio-resistance of tumour cells and therefore would contribute to development of new prevention and therapeutic strategies.

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