Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / This work describes the phytochemical investigation of two specimens of Hyptis: H. carvalhoi Harley and H. crassifolia Mart. ex Benth., whose purpose is to investigate northeastern Brazil plants of the Hyptis genus, in the search for bioactive compounds, especially with anticancer activity. The chemical analysis of both species resulted in the isolation and characterization of 10 substances for H. crassifolia and 12 substances for H. carvalhoi. Of the ethanol extract from roots of H. crassifolia were isolated nine diterpenes and the known triterpene betulinic acid. Of the nine diterpenes, four are abietanes: 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatriene, 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrie-7-one, 11,12,15-tri-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one and 6α,11,12,15-tetra-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one, from which 11,12,15-tri-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one is being reported for the first time in the literature as a new natural abietane diterpene and the 6α,11,12,15-tetra-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-one is unknow. Three have rearranged abietanes skeletons: 11,12,14,16-tetra-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one, 11,12,16-tri-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one and (16S)-12,16-epoxy-11,14-di-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one, from which the 11,12,16-tri-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one is unknown, and to the (16S)-12,16-epoxy-11,14-di-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one is proposed a revision of the 1H and 13C NMR data previously reported in the literature. Two known labdane diterpenes: 11-oxomanoyl oxide and 11β-hydroxymanoyl oxide were also isolated. From the hexane extract of the roots of H. carvalhoi were isolated ten diterpenes, one compound from a mixed biosynthesis, 3β-[4â-acetoxyangeloiloxy]-tremetone, not yet reported for the Lamiaceae, and betulinic acid, a chemotaxonomic marker for the genus Hyptis. Of the ten diterpenes, five are abietane: 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-20-al, 8,11,13-abietatrien-12,20-diol, 11-hydroxy-12-metoxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-10-oic acid, 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrien-10-oic acid and 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatriene, an unknown nor-diterpene, with a 20-nor-icetexane skeleton identified as 8(7),10(7)-di-epoxy-12-hydroxy-20-nor-8,11,13-abietatriene, a pimarane diterpene, 11-ketosandaracopimar-15-en-8β-ol, unknow in the Lamiaceae and three tanshinones: 7β-hydroxy-11,14-di-oxoabieta-8,13-diene, 7,12-di-hydroxy-8,12-abietadien-11,14-di-oxo-20-al and 7α-hydroxy-11,14-dioxoabieta-8,13-diene, from which the last is unknown. All compounds were isolated using successive chromatographic purification steps, including HPLC, and structural determination was performed by mean of spectroscopic techniques such as HRMS, IR, 1H and 13C NMR, including uni and bidimensional pulse sequences, and comparison with data from the literature. Among the isolated compounds, eighteen have been tested for cell-growth inhibition activity against several human cancer cell lines, and ten showed activity. From the compounds isolated from H. crassifolia, 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatriene and 11,12,14,16-tetra-hydroxy-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-one showed a moderate cytotoxic activity, while 12-hydroxy-8,11,13-abietatrie-7-one exhibited a moderate, but selective activity against leukemia cell line. All diterpenes isolated from H. carvalhoi exhibited cytotoxic activity, but 7,12-di-hydroxy-8,12-abietadien-11,14-di-oxo-20-al, after 72 hours of incubation, showed IC50 values ranging from 3.91 to 32.01 μM in colon tumor (HCT-116) and leukemic (HL-60) cells, respectively. Its possible mechanism of action was then studied. / Este trabalho descreve a investigaÃÃo fitoquÃmica de dois espÃcimes de Hyptis: H. carvalhoi Harley e H. crassifolia Mart. ex Benth. O objetivo à investigar plantas do gÃnero Hyptis do Nordeste do Brasil, na busca por compostos bioativos, principalmente com atividade anticÃncer. A prospecÃÃo quÃmica relativa Ãs duas espÃcies resultou no isolamento de 10 substÃncias para H. crassifolia e 12 substÃncias para H. carvalhoi. Do extrato etanÃlico das raÃzes de H. crassifolia foram isolados nove diterpenos e o triterpeno conhecido como Ãcido betulÃnico. Dos nove diterpenos, quatro sÃo abietanos: 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrieno, 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona, 11,12,15-tri-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona e 6α,11,12,15-tetra-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona, dos quais a 11,12,15-tri-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona està sendo relatada pela primeira vez como um novo diterpeno abietano natural e a 6α,11,12,15-tetra-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona à inÃdita na literatura. TrÃs apresentam esqueletos abietanos rearranjados: 11,12,14,16-tetra-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona, 11,12,16-tri-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona e (16S)-12,16-epoxi-11,14-di-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona, sendo a 11,12,16-tri-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona inÃdita, e para a (16S)-12,16-epoxi-11,14-di-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona està se propondo uma revisÃo dos dados de RMN de 1H e 13C relatados na literatura. Foram isolados tambÃm dois diterpenos labdanos conhecidos: Ãxido de 11β-hidroximanoila e Ãxido de 11-oxomanoila. Do extrato hexÃnico das raÃzes de H. carvalhoi foram isolados dez diterpenos, uma substÃncia de biossÃntese mista, denominada de 3β-[4â-acetoxiangeloiloxi]-tremetona, ainda nÃo relatada na famÃlia Lamiaceae e o Ãcido betulÃnico, marcador quimiotaxonÃmico no gÃnero Hyptis. Dos dez diterpenos, cinco sÃo abietanos: 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-20-al, 8,11,13-abietatrien-12,20-diol, Ãcido 11-hidroxi-12-metoxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-10-Ãico, Ãcido 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-10-Ãico e 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrieno, um nor-diterpeno, com esqueleto 20-nor-icetexano inÃdito, denominado 8(7),10(7)-diepoxi-12-hidroxi-20-nor-8,11,13-abietatrieno, um diterpeno pimarano, o 11-cetosandaracopimar-15-en-8β-ol, inÃdito na famÃlia Lamiaceae e trÃs tanshinonas: 7β-hidroxi-11,14-dioxoabieta-8,13-dieno, 7,12-di-hidroxi-8,12-abietadien-11,14-di-oxo-20-al e 7α-hidroxi-11,14-dioxoabieta-8,13-dieno, sendo a Ãltima inÃdita na literatura. Todos os compostos foram isolados utilizando sucessivos fracionamentos cromatogrÃficos, incluindo CLAE e a determinaÃÃo estrutural foi realizada atravÃs de tÃcnicas espectroscÃpicas como EMAR, IV, RMN de 1H e 13C, incluindo sequÃncias de pulsos uni e bidimensionais, e comparaÃÃo com dados descritos na literatura. Dentre os compostos isolados, dezoito foram testados com relaÃÃo a inibiÃÃo do crescimento celular de quatro linhagens de cÃlulas humanas cancerÃgenas e dez mostraram atividade. Dos compostos isolados de H. crassifolia o 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrieno e a 11,12,14,16-tetra-hidroxi-17 -abeo-abieta-8,11,13-trien-7-ona apresentaram atividade citotÃxica moderada, enquanto a 12-hidroxi-8,11,13-abietatrien-7-ona apresentou uma atividade citotÃxica moderada, porÃm seletiva contra cÃlulas tumorais leucÃmicas. Dos compostos isolados de H. carvalhoi todos os diterpenos apresentaram atividade citotÃxica, mas a 7,12-di-hidroxi-8,12-abietadien-11,14-di-oxo-20-al, apÃs 72 horas de incubaÃÃo, apresentou valores de CI50 que variaram de 3,91 a 32,01 μM em cÃlulas tumorais de cÃlon (HCT-116) e leucÃmicas (HL-60), respectivamente. O seu possÃvel mecanismo de aÃÃo, foi entÃo estudado.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. According to the WHO, cancer accounted for 7.4 million deaths world wide in 2004. The metallo-compound cisplatin has been used for years as an effective antitumor agent for treating solid tumours such as breast, bladder, lung, oesophageal, and head and neck carcinomas. However, the use of cisplatin as an antitumor agent has been limited because of its association with problems such as lack of selectivity for cancer cells over normal cells, development of resistance to cisplatin treatment, and side effects such as nephrotoxicity. Recent studies on anticancer drugs have focussed on alternative anticancer agents such as gold compounds in both Au(I) and (III) oxidation states, which have shown to be potential anticancer drug agents because of their ability to induce apoptosis in several human cancer cells. Some gold complexes have shown to be able to selectively kill cancer cells over normal cells.

Des dendrimères à cœur aromatique ayant des propriétés originales en électronique moléculaire ont été synthétisés pour des applications en tant que batteries moléculaires avec des systèmes redox robustes et pour la thérapie anti-cancer par capture de neutrons. Le premier thème a été focalisé sur les dendrimères à terminaison métallocénique ou bimétallocénique avec la recherche des propriétés électroniques y compris la stabilisation de valence mixte avec application pour la synthèse de nanoparticules métalliques contrôlée par le potentiel redox. Le second thème a impliqué la synthèse de dendrimères ayant des terminaisons carborane en collaboration avec le groupe du Prof. N. Hosmane de Chicago. Pour les deux thèmes, les assemblages ont été réalisés par réaction “click“ de type Huisguen entre des azotures terminaux des dendrimères et les alcynes terminaux. Les dendrimères ont été caractérisés à la fois à l'aide de techniques spectroscopiques et analytiques traditionnelles et à l'aide de techniques propres aux macromolécules (chromatographie d'exclusion stérique, RMN DOESY, diffusion de lumière dynamique). Le concept de base commun aux deux thèmes consiste à utiliser la topologie dendritique de grands dendrimères pour concentrer dans un nano-espace minimum une quantité élevée d'électrons pour les batteries moléculaires ou d'atomes de bore dont la densité est essentielle pour l'efficacité de la thérapie anti-cancer par capture de neutrons. / Dendrimers with aromatic core with original properties in molecular electronics have been synthesized for applications as molecular batteries with robust redox systems and the anti-cancer therapy by neutron capture. The first theme was focused on metallocene-terminated or bimetallocenyl dendrimers with the research of electronic properties including the stabilization of mixed valence with application for the synthesis of metal nanoparticles controlled by the redox potential. The second theme concerned the synthesis of dendrimers with carborane termini in collaboration with the Chicago group of Prof. N. Hosman. For both subjects, the connections have been made by "click" reaction of type Huisguen between alkynes and dendrimer terminals azides. The dendrimers were characterized at a time using traditional analytical and spectroscopic techniques and using own techniques to macromolecules (size exclusion chromatography, DOESY NMR, dynamic light scattering). The basic concept common to both themes is the use of dendritic topology of large dendrimers to concentrate in a nano-space at least a high amount of electrons to molecular batteries or boron atoms whose density is essential for efficiency of the anti-cancer therapy by neutron capture.

Plusieurs arguments de la littérature suggèrent l’importance de l’alimentation dans le développement tumoral et l’efficacité des traitements anti-cancereux. Dans différents modèles animaux, la restriction calorique (CR) supprime la prolifération des cellules tumorales et les sensibilise aux thérapies ciblées. Par conséquent, des approches non-pharmacologiques comme la restriction calorique ont un intérêt grandissant en clinique. Considérant l’addiction des cellules tumorales aux nutriments, nous nous sommes demandé quels macronutriments pouvaient avoir des propriétés anticancéreuses. A partir d’un modèle murin de lymphomes B (modèle transgénique Eµ-Myc) nous avons testé l’impact de deux régimes alimentaires : l’un pauvre en glucides (Low CHO, 25% de réduction en glucides) et l’autre pauvre en protéines (Low PROT, 25% de réduction en protéines). Des souris syngéniques C57BL/6 ont été injectées par voie intraveineuse avec des cellules primaires Eμ-Myc. Malgré un apport alimentaire équivalent entre les groupes, nous avons observé que le régime pauvre en protéines augmente la survie globale des souris C57BL/6 développant un lymphome B Eµ-Myc. De manière intéressante, nous avons démontré que cet effet pro-survie est dépendant du système immunitaire. En effet, la déplétion des cellules T CD8+ ou l’utilisation d’un modèle murin immunodéficient NSG (NOD-SCID il2rγ), empêche l’effet bénéfique du régime pauvre en protéines sur le développement tumoral. Nous avons reproduit et étendu nos observations en utilisant des lignées modèles de cancéreuses colorectaux (CT26) et de mélanome (B16) injectée dans des souris syngéniques, immunocompétente. Les cellules tumorales étant fortement dépendantes des nutriments, nous avons émis l’hypothèse qu’un régime pauvre en protéines pourrait induire un stress du réticulum endoplasmique (RE) dans ces dernières. En effet, nous avons observé une augmentation des protéines impliquées dans la signalisation du RE : CHOP et sXBP1. Par conséquent, nous avons traité les souris nourries en régime pauvre en protéines avec deux inhibiteurs du stress du RE : TUDCA, inhibiteur générique et MKC4485 qui cible l’activité ribonucléase d’IRE1. Dans les deux cas, ces inhibiteurs ont bloqué l’effet du régime faible en protéines sur le développement tumoral et l’infiltration des T CD8+ au sein de la tumeur. Pour s’affranchir, des potentiels effets secondaires des inhibiteurs chimiques, nous avons invalidé IRE1 dans la lignée CT26 et nous avons obtenus des résultats similaires, démontrant que la voie IRE1 dans les cellules tumorales est une voie centrale dans la réponse immunitaire anticancéreuse induite par un régime pauvre en protéines. En outre, nous avons découvert que l’activation de RIG-I est un événement en aval de l’activation d’IRE1 et que, par analyse bio-informatique nous avons pu corréler une signature IRE1 à une infiltration immunitaire élevée et à une immunogénicité accrue du cancer chez les patients atteints de mélanome, glioblastome et cancer colorectal. De ce fait, nous avons démontré que la réponse du système immunitaire induite par un régime pauvre en protéines est une conséquence de l’activation accrue de IRE1 dans les cellules cancéreuses. / Several arguments from the literature suggested the importance of diets in cancer development and in the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies. Calorie restriction (CR) suppresses cancer growth in various animal models and sensitizes tumor cells to targeted therapies (Meynet & Ricci, 2014). Thus, non-pharmacologic approaches such as CR have a growing interest in the clinic. Considering the nutrient addiction of cancer cells, we wondered which specific macronutrients contribute the most to anti-cancer effects. Therefore, we tested the reduction in specific macronutrient without decrease in general calorie intake on tumor development. We used two diets: reduced in carbohydrates (Low CHO, -25% carbohydrates) and diet reduced in protein (Low PROT, -25% proteins) on the Eµ-Myc transgenic mouse model of B-cell lymphoma. Syngeneic C57BL/6 mice were intravenously injected with primary Eμ-Myc cells. We observed that low PROT-diet, in spite of equal calorie intake among the groups, resulted in increase of the overall survival of Eµ-Myc-bearing C57BL/6 mice. Very importantly, we established that this pro-survival effect is immune system-dependent as both depletion of CD8+ T cells and use of immunodeficient NSG (NOD-SCID il2rγ) mouse model prevented the beneficial effect of the low PROT-diet on the tumor development. We reproduced and further extended our observations using subcutaneous injection of CT26 colorectal cancer cells in syngeneic immunocompetent BALB/c mice and B16 melanoma in C57BL/6 mice. As tumor cells are highly dependent on nutrients, we speculated that low PROT diet could induce ER stress in tumor cells. Indeed, we observed increase in proteins implicated in ER stress signaling – CHOP and sXBP1. Therefore, we treated low PROT-diet fed mice with two ER stress inhibitors, the general inhibitor TUDCA or MKC4485, which targets IRE1 RNAse activity. In both cases, inhibitors significantly prevented the effect of the Low PROT-diet on tumor development and on intratumoral number of CD8+ T cells. To eliminate any side effects of chemical inhibitors, we invalidated IRE1 in CT26 cells and obtained similar results, demonstrating that IRE1 signaling in tumor cells is a central event in the low PROT-diet induced anti-cancer immune response. In addition, we have uncovered RIG-I activation as a downstream event of IRE1 activation and by bioinformatic analysis correlated high-IRE1 signature with high immune infiltration and enhanced immunogenicity of cancer in patients bearing melanoma, glioblastoma and colorectal cancer. Hence, we have shown that the immune system response elicited under a Low PROT diet is a consequence of increased IRE1 activation in cancer cells.

Taxol™, isolated from the bark of Taxus brevifolia in the late 1960s, and the semisynthetic analog Taxotere™ have proven clinical importance for the treatment of ovarian and breast cancer. Taxol™ exerts its biological effect by binding to polymerized tubulin and stabilizing the resulting microtubules. Studies aimed at understanding the biologically active conformation of taxol and its binding environment on β-tubulin are described. This knowledge is important because it could lead to the design of structurally less complicated drugs with better efficacy and better bioavailability. Moreover, the information can be extended to other natural products that possess microtubule-stabilizing properties similar to Taxol™. In this work, the synthesis of a triply labeled taxol analog is described as well as REDOR studies of this compound complexed to tubulin are in progress. Macrocyclic analogs of taxol have been prepared and their biological activities were evaluated. Chemical modeling of these analogs and their activities agrees with the hypothesis that Taxol™ adopts T-shaped conformation. Difficulties were encountered with the key ring-closing metathesis strategy, suggesting that a more flexible and efficient macrocyclization method will be needed to synthesize additional macrocyclic analogs. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Biochemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Cancer remains one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide with an estimated 9.9 million deaths in 2020. Cancer treatment regimens such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy have over the years fallen short due to drug resistance, toxicity, damage to normal healthy cells and tissues surrounding the treatment area. Moreover, they have shown very limited survival benefits for most advanced staged cancers such as colorectal cancer, which in 2020 was responsible for 3 728 deaths with a 6.8% incidence rate. Despite the many efforts in developing alternative chemotherapeutic strategies, cancer of the colon and cancer, in general, remains a burden. For centuries, plants and plant derivatives have been exploited for their nutritional and medicinal properties and now serve as chemical scaffolds or templates for designing and synthesising products with pharmacological importance. Herbal medicines are claimed to enhance therapeutic effects and are often used in combination with chronic medication. However, the concurrent use of herbal medicines and synthetic drugs may affect the pharmacokinetic profile of therapeutic drugs or trigger unexpected and undesirable effects. This study aimed to characterise the leaf extracts (crude water and crude methanol) of Momordica balsamina and investigate their potential anticancer activity on HT-29 colon cancer cells. The study also aimed to asses the effect of the extracts on drug metabolising enzymes (CYP450), specifically those which metabolise 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) prodrugs or are inhibited by 5-FU since it is one of the first-line treatments for colon cancer. Dried powdered leaves were extracted using water and absolute methanol to obtain crude water and crude methanol extracts, respectively. For characterisation, the extracts were spotted on thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates and further screened using chemical tests. The ferric ion reducing power assay and Liquid chromatographymass spectrometry were used to determine the antioxidant activity of the extracts and to identify prominent or abundant compounds in each extract, respectively. To assess the cytotoxic effect of the extracts and 5-FU, HT-29 colon cancer cells and C2C12 muscle cells, which were used as a model for normal cells, were exposed to concentrations that ranged from 0 to 2000 µg/ml for the water (H2O) extract, 0 to 300 µg/ml for the methanol (MeOH) extract or 0 to 100 µg/ml of 5-FU for 24 and 72 hours, and subjected to the MTT assay. The effect of the extracts on the efficacy of 5-FU was xxi assessed using the MTT assay by combined treatments of the extract and 5-FU. Genotoxicity of the extracts was assessed on the C2C12 cells using the Muse™ MultiColour DNA Damage kit. The generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assessed by flow cytometry using the DCFH-DA assay. The JC-1 and acridine orange (AO)/propidium iodide (PI) staining assays were used to assess the effect of the extracts on the mitochondrial potential as well as cell and nuclear morphology, respectively. Apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry using annexin V/PI and caspase activation assessed using the Caspase-8 and Caspase-9 colourimetric assay kits. The pro-apoptotic mechanism(s) was determined by assessing the expression profiles of selected apoptosis regulatory proteins using the human apoptosis antibody array kit. Cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry was conducted to determine the effect of the extract on the cell division cycle. Moreover, to determine the potential of herb-drug interactions, the Vivid® CYP450 Screening kits and P-gp-GloTM Assay Systems with P-glycoprotein were used to assess the effect on the activity of drug metabolising enzymes and drug transportation, respectively. The results showed that the MeOH extract possessed fewer polar compounds, higher ferric iron-reducing power, and a relative abundance of flavonol glycosides, cucurbitane-type triterpenoid aglycones, and cucurbitane-type glycosides than the H2O extract. The MeOH extract was further selectively cytotoxic to the HT-29 colon cancer cells at 24 hours of treatment and selectively induced genotoxicity in HT-29 cells. The H2O extract, however, was not cytotoxic to the HT-29 cells at all the tested concentrations at 24 and 72 hours of treatment. Analysis of nuclear and cell morphology suggested that the decrease in the percentage viability of MeOH extracttreated cells was associated with apoptotic cell death. Apoptosis was further confirmed by the loss of mitochondrial potential, increase in ROS production, caspase-8 and -9 activities as well as Annexin-V/PI-stained cells. Cell cycle analysis revealed cell cycle arrest at the S phase in MeOH extract-treated cells. Analysis of protein expression profiles revealed that the extract modulated various proteins that play a role in the promotion or inhibition of apoptosis. Moreover, the MeOH extract was shown to inhibit the activity of CYPs 1A2, 2A6, 2C8, and 2C9, while the H2O extract showed no significant inhibitory effects on the activity of all tested CYPs and 5-FU only significantly inhibited the activity of CYP2C9. However, combinatory treatments with 5-FU and the MeOH extract were shown to have no additive or diminishing effects on the efficacy of 5-FU on the activity of all the tested CYP enzymes. Treatment with 5FU (0.008 – 32 μg/ml) and the H2O extract (0.02 – 200 μg/ml) was shown to stimulate the ATPase activity of P-gp, while the MeOH extract significantly inhibited its activity with concentrations of 0.2, 2, and 20 μg/ml. In conclusion, the MeOH extract selectively induced cancer cell toxicity, genotoxicity as well as S phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis via the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. The anticancer activity of the MeOH leaf extract of M. balsamina as well as its antioxidant potential may be attributed to the presence and relative abundance of flavonol glycosides, cucurbitane-type triterpenoid aglycones, and cucurbitane-type glycosides. Although the MeOH extract may potentially reverse the effects of P-gp multidrug resistance by decreasing its activity, its inhibition of the activity of CYPs 1A2, 2A6, 2C8 and, 2C9, which are involved in the metabolism of more than 80% of the drugs in clinical use may suggest that co-administration of the MeOH extract may still result in increased plasma levels of drugs, thereby resulting in toxicity. The H2O extract, although not pro-apoptotic as the MeOH extract may still have the potential to be developed as a nutraceutical as it was shown to exhibit no adverse drug interactions and because this species is known to possess a wide variety of nutritional and medicinal values. / South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Research Capacity Development Initiative.

Nanocarriers have been established as delivery vehicles to target cancer tumors. However, premature drug leakage is one of the major reasons for inefficient drug delivery of nanocarriers to the tumor. Drug diffusion out of the nanocarriers or destabilization of drug loaded nanocarriers by physiological interactions with blood cells, serum proteins, and cell membranes upon systemic administration contribute to premature drug release. In this study, targeted micelles, liposomes and solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) of similar composition were prepared and characterized to compare physicochemical characteristics, in vitro stability, in vitro release rates in release media and in vivo performance. Peptide Amphiphiles (PAs) formed micelles with critical micelle concentration (CMC) values ranging between 23.68 ± 0.72 µM to 38.76 ± 2.27 µM. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) images confirmed the self-assembly of PAs into spherical structures where the largest sizes were seen for C16-(PEG2)6-LDV micelles. Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) results confirmed the presence of targeted liposomes and SLNs with sizes smaller than 100 nm. Forster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) studies revealed that targeted micelles, liposomes and SLNs were all stable upon dilution in aqueous medium, however the stability was significantly reduced in human serum, with micelles being the least stable and SLNs being the most stable. The same trend was observed for the in vitro release profiles, where targeted paclitaxel-loaded micelles (PTX-micelles) had the fastest release rate and paclitaxel-loaded SLNs (PTX-SLN) exhibited the slowest release rate. DLS results showed that sizes of PTX-SLNs were smaller than PTX-liposomes (80.53 ± 5.37 nm vs 123.31 ± 5.87 nm). Cryogenic TEM observation showed increasing size in the order of PTX-micelles (6 to 12 nm) < PTX-SLNs (10-120 nm) < PTX-liposomes (48-145 nm). Drug Loading Content (DLC) of PTX-SLNs was greater than PTX-micelles and PTX-liposomes (7.45 ± 0.41 % vs 1.70 ± 0.42 % and 0.92 ± 0.09 %). Compared to initial aqueous dispersions, reconstituted spray dried formulations maintained their nanosize and paclitaxel content over 7 days at 4⁰C. In A375 melanoma xenograft mouse model, the tumor volumes were significantly smaller for mice treated with PTX-SLNs compared to the control group. Furthermore, tumor volumes were significantly smaller for mice treated with PTX-SLNs compared to those treated with PTX-micelles and PTX-liposomes. These studies demonstrate the potential of stable PTX-SLNs for targeted delivery in cancer.

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La proline est un acide aminé unique qui se caractérise par un cycle pyrrolidine qui lui confère des propriétés physiques et chimiques spécifiques comparé aux autres 20 acides aminés acycliques retrouvés de façon majoritaire dans le protéome humain. Cette différence se retrouve également dans les motifs polyproline et est utilisée par la Nature en de nombreuses façons comme le repliement des protéines, les mécanismes régulatoires liés à l’activité de certaines protéases, la formation de structures secondaires, le biomarquage de peptides substrats des oligopeptidases, et le clivage des motifs diproline par les proline-proline endopeptidases. La proline a par conséquent été un centre d’intérêt pour les chimistes médicinaux lors du développement d'agents thérapeutiques. Cette thèse se propose d’étudier plusieurs composés biologiquement actifs dérivés de la proline. La première étude relate les avancements liés au composé SH-BC-893, un azacycle contraint dérivé de FTY720 développé au sein du groupe Hanessian. SH-BC-893 est un agent anticancéreux qui permet l’affamement des cellules cancéreuses au travers de la disruption de l’apport des nutriments cellulaires externes et internes. Par son activation de la protéine phosphatase 2A, il permet d’internaliser les récepteurs transmembranaires d’acides aminés et de glucose et de réguler à la baisse les récepteurs de lipides à faible densité. Son action permet également la perturbation de la dégradation de nutriments internes provenant de la macropinocytose et de l’autophagie en prévenant la fusion entre le lysosome et les endosomes respectifs. Afin d’augmenter l’activité de SH-BC-893, deux séries de composés ont été synthétisés et testés en vue d’une activité double. La première série a eu pour but de cibler HDAC2 suite à une étude de Spiegel au sein de laquelle son inhibition a été rapportée pour FTY720. La seconde a visé à obtenir des composés activant d’autres portions ou d’autres homologues de PP2A via l’insertion de fragments tricycliques suite aux études rapportant l’activation de PP2A par des dérivés de composés neuroleptiques tricycliques du type de la perphénazine. La synthèse et les tests biologiques de ces composés sont également décrits. Le deuxième chapitre décrit la synthèse d’une série de morpholines pontées comportant le motif de l’acide gamma-aminobutyrique (GABA) contraint. GABA est un composant prépondérant de la régulation du système nerveux central au travers de son action inhibitrice sur les neurorécepteurs GABA-A, GABA-B, GABA-C. De nombreux agents thérapeutiques inspirés de GABA ont été développés avec les années, notamment baclofen. Les morpholines pontées rapportées ici possèdent un centre quaternaire stéréocontrôlé pour lequel un ensemble de substituants a été varié, incluant le groupement phényle para-chloré du baclofen ainsi que l’iso-butyle de la Pregabalin, autre composé actif dans le système nerveux central dérivé de GABA. La modélisation du dérivé du baclofen a été réalisée au sein du site actif de GABA-B. L’ensemble des composés ont également été modélisés sous forme d’acides aminés au sein de la base de données LLAMA afin de déterminer leur capacité à occuper l’espace de Lead-likeness et confirmer qu’ils satisfont les conditions de Lipinski. La troisième partie décrit la synthèse d’un nouveau mime de diproline, nommé ProCyp. Le dimère est composé d’un noyau pyrrolidine attaché à une unité cyclopentane à l’aide d’un pont méthylène hydroxylé. Les quatre isomères cyclopentanes trans dérivés de la (L)-proline ont été synthétisés et leur stéréochimie absolue a été déterminée par étude RMN et de cristallographie. Ces composés représentent la première forme de mimes de diproline de type ProCyp et peuvent être intégrés au sein de peptidomimétiques afin de mimer l’aspect structurel des diprolines ainsi que l’intermédiaire tétrahédral des ProPro endopeptidases. L’ensemble des isomères disponibles permet de choisir le plus opportun à l’appuis d’études de modélisation. Le dernier chapitre rapporte le développement de deux séries de composés incluant le dimère ProCyp. Les motifs polyproline sont de prime importance pour de nombreux mécanismes de reconnaissance par la Nature, en particulier dans les voies de signalisation dont le dérèglement peut entrainer une myriade de troubles de santé notamment inflammatoires, immunitaires et cancéreux. La première application est centrée sur la synthèse et les tests biologiques de peptidomimétiques du motif riche en proline du peptide p22phox, sous-unité de la NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) dont la reconnaissance par le domaine riche en proline de p47phox permet l’assemblage de NOX2 nécessaire à son activité. Lors de stress cellulaire externe, cet assemblage peut devenir excessif et engendrer un excès de production d’espèces réactives d’oxygènes, entrainant un ensemble de biomécanismes délétaires pour l’hôte. Les peptidomimétiques comportent un cœur triproline, dont deux des trois prolines ont été remplacées par le module ProCyp. Le meilleur isomère a été sélectionné sur la base de la modélisation moléculaire afin de mimer les angles de torsion de la triproline correspondant à une hélice de type polyproline II. La deuxième application concerne le développement de peptidomimétiques inhibiteurs de la ProPro endopeptidase (PPEP-1) de Clostridium difficile (C. diff). C. diff a été identifiée comme une des menaces nosocomiales majeures en raison de son caractère opportuniste lorsque la flore intestinale des patients est détruite suite à un traitement impliquant la prise soutenue d’antibiotiques. C. diff possède un arsenal de mécanismes d’évasion et de prolifération au sein de l’hôte incluant la formation de colonies recouvertes d’un biofilm protecteur sur la paroi epithéliale de l’hôte lors de la réponse immunitaire. Ces mécanismes sont complétés à l’aide de peptidases qui leurs permettent de couper les flagelles d’ancrages, dont PPEP-1. Le site de scission P1-P1’ de PPEP-1 implique deux prolines, flanquées par une séquence peptidique clairement identifiée. Une série de peptides basés sur cette séquence dont la diproline centrale a été remplacée par le dimère ProCyp a été synthétisée. L’isomère ProCyp a été choisi sur la base de son recouvrement avec l’heptapeptide cristallisé au sein d’un mutant de PPEP-1 par le Pr. Baumann. / Proline is a unique amino acid characterized by a cyclic side chain that gives it specific physical and chemical properties compared to the other 20 acyclic amino acids found in the human proteome. This difference is also found in polyproline motifs and is used by Nature in many ways such as protein folding, regulatory mechanisms related to the activity of certain proteases, formation of secondary structures, biomarking of peptide substrates of oligopeptidases, and cleavage of diproline motifs by proline-proline endopeptidases. Proline has therefore been a focus of interest for medicinal chemists in the development of therapeutic agents. This thesis proposes to study several biologically active compounds derived from proline. The first study reports on the advances related to the compound SH-BC-893, a constrained azacycle derived from FTY720 developed within the Hanessian group. SH-BC-893 is an anti-cancer agent that allows the starvation of cancer cells through the disruption of external and internal cellular nutrient supply. Through its activation of protein phosphatase 2A, it internalizes transmembrane amino acid and glucose receptors and downregulates low-density lipid receptors. Its action also allows the disruption of internal nutrient degradation from macropinocytosis and autophagy by preventing fusion between the lysosome and the respective endosomes. To enhance the activity of SH-BC-893, two series of compounds were synthesized and tested for dual activity. The first set aimed at targeting HDAC2 following a study by Spiegel in which its inhibition was reported for FTY720. The second set aimed at obtaining compounds activating other portions or homologs of PP2A via the insertion of tricyclic fragments following studies reporting PP2A activation by derivatives of tricyclic neuroleptic compounds of the perphenazine type. The synthesis and biological tests of these compounds are also described. The second chapter describes the synthesis of a series of bridged morpholines with a constrained gamma butyric amino acid (GABA) motif. GABA is a major component of central nervous system regulation through its inhibitory action on GABA-A, GABA-B, GABA-C neuroreceptors. Many therapeutic agents inspired by GABA have been developed over the years, notably baclofen. The bridged morpholines reported here have a stereocontrolled quaternary center for which a variety of substituents have been used, including the para-chlorophenyl of baclofen and the iso-butyl of Pregabalin, another GABA-derived compound active in the central nervous system. The baclofen derivative was modeled within the GABA-B active site. All compounds were also modeled as amino acids within the LLAMA database to determine their ability to occupy the lead-likeness space and confirm that they satisfy the Lipinski conditions. The third part describes the synthesis of a new diproline mime, named ProCyp. The dimer is composed of a pyrrolidine ring attached to a cyclopentane unit by means of a hydroxylated methylene bridge. The four trans cyclopentane isomers derived from (L)-proline were synthesized and their absolute stereochemistry was determined by NMR and crystallographic studies. These compounds represent the first form of ProCyp-type diproline mimes and can be incorporated into peptidomimetics to mimic the structural aspect of diprolines as well as the tetrahedral intermediate of ProPro endopeptidases. The set of available isomers allows to choose the most appropriate one to support modeling studies. The final chapter reports the development of two series of compounds including the ProCyp dimer. Polyproline motifs are of prime importance for many of Nature's recognition mechanisms, particularly in signaling pathways whose dysregulation can lead to a myriad of health disorders including inflammatory, immune and cancerous. The first application is focused on the synthesis and biological testing of peptidomimetics of the proline-rich motif of the peptide p22phox, a subunit of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) whose recognition by the proline-rich domain of p47phox allows the assembly of NOX2 necessary for its activity. During external cellular stress, this assembly can become excessive and lead to an excess of reactive oxygen species production, resulting in a series of deleterious biomechanisms for the host. The peptidomimetics comprise a triproline core, of which two of the three prolines have been replaced by the ProCyp module. The best isomer was selected on the basis of molecular modeling to mimic the torsion angles of the triproline corresponding to a polyproline II helix. The second application concerns the development of peptidomimetics that inhibit the ProPro endopeptidase (PPEP-1) of Clostridium difficile (C. diff). C. diff has been identified as one of the major nosocomial threats due to its opportunistic nature when the intestinal flora of patients is destroyed following treatment with sustained antibiotics. C. diff has an arsenal of mechanisms of escape and proliferation within the host including the formation of colonies covered by a protective biofilm on the host epithelial wall during the immune response. These mechanisms are complemented by peptidases that allow them to cleave anchoring flagella, including PPEP-1. The P1-P1' cleavage site of PPEP-1 involves two prolines, flanked by a clearly identified peptide sequence. A series of peptides based on this sequence with the central diproline replaced by the ProCyp dimer was synthesized. The ProCyp isomer was chosen on the basis of its overlap with the heptapeptide crystallized in a PPEP-1 mutant by Prof. Baumann.