Detection of painful stimuli in the periphery is mediated by temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential (TRP) channels which are expressed in primary afferent endings of free sensory neurons called nociceptors. TRP channels in nociceptors are involved in the detection of thermal, but also mechanical and chemical stimuli. Out of seven known types of temperature-sensitive TRP channels, three are responsible for detecting painful temperatures: vanilloid receptors TRPV1 (> 42 o C) and TRPV2 (> 52 o C) detect noxious heat, and ankyrin receptor TRPA1 detects noxious cold (< 17 o C). Better knowledge of TRP channel mechanisms of action is essential for understanding TRP channel functions and ultimately for the design of potential analgesics. New findings presented in this thesis clarify mechanisms of action of TRPV1 and TRPA1 receptors, focusing on camphor and voltage sensitivity of TRPV1 channels and calcium modulation of TRPA1 channels. The first topic discussed in this thesis is the mechanism of camphor sensitivity of TRPV1 receptor. Camphor is a naturally occurring substance known since time immemorial for its effective analgesic properties, yet its mechanism of action is not understood. Camphor is known to be a partial agonist of TRPV1 channel, a full agonist of TRPV3 channel, but also an inhibitor of...

With many natural landscapes undergoing restoration efforts, there is a growing need for the optimization of direct seeding practices. Seeds planted on wildlands are often consumed by rodents leading to reduced plant establishment. Coating seeds in rodent aversive products may prevent seed predation. We tested ten seed-coating formulations containing products expected to deter rodents, namely: ghost and cayenne pepper powders; essential oils from bergamot, neem, and pine; methyl-nonyl-ketone, anthraquinone, activated carbon, beta-cyclodextrin and a blank coating containing no rodent deterrents to serve as a control treatment. Each treatment was applied to Pseudoroegneria spicata (bluebunch wheatgrass) seeds. These seeds germinated similarly to uncoated control seeds unless the coating contained methyl-nonyl-ketone which reduced germination. Seeds were offered to Ord's kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ordii) that strongly avoided the treatments in favor of uncoated control seeds. Notably, the blank coating, lacking active ingredients, still elicited 99% avoidance. However, these results indicated behavior when alternative food sources are readily available, a scenario rare in nature. To address this, a second feeding experiment was conducted to observe D. ordii's behavior under calorie-restricted conditions. D. ordii were subjected to a fast period and then offered only one treatment. Under these conditions, many subjects chose to consume coated seeds, but to a lesser degree than subjects offered control seeds. Seeds coated in ghost pepper, neem oil, and activated carbon reduced consumption by 47-50%. Given these lab results, we would expect these seed-coatings to increase the establishment of native seeds following the direct seeding of wildlands by deterring rodent seed-predation.

To determine the origin of non-vagal afferent fibers innervating the heart of guinea pigs, capsaicin was injected into the ventricular myocardium to induce depletion of substance P (SP). The lower cervical, upper thoracic and lumbar spinal ganglia, as well as the left atrium and base of ventricles, were assayed for SP depletion by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemical procedures. Capsaicin affected spinal ganglia from the 3 regions differently. The substance P level in lumbar spinal ganglia remained fairly constant, while the level of SP from cervical and thoracic regions declined significantly. At the maximal depletion dosage (173 μg of capsaicin/kg), SP concentration decreased 72.3% in cervical spinal ganglia, 45.5% in thoracic ganglia and 56.1% in the atrium. The lack of SP depletion in lumbar ganglia indicates that capsaicin acted locally on cardiac afferents rather than systemically. Data from this study suggest that capsaicin-sensitive neurons of the heart have cell bodies in the lower cervical spinal ganglia as well as in the upper thoracic spinal ganglia.

The purpose of this study was to determine if endogenous tachykinins can cause bradycardia in the isolated perfused guinea pig heart through stimulation of cholinergic neurons. Capsaicin was used to stimulate release of tachykinins and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) from cardiac afferents. A bolus injection of 100 nmol capsaicin increased heart rate by 26 ± 7% from a baseline of 257 ± 14 beats/min (n = 6, P < 0.01). This positive chronotropic response was converted to a minor bradycardic effect in hearts with 1 μM CGRP (8-37) present to block CGRP receptors. The negative chronotropic response to capsaicin was markedly potentiated in another group of hearts with the further addition of 0.5 μM neostigmine to inhibit cholinesterases. In this group, capsaicin decreased heart rate by 30 ± 10% from a baseline of 214 ± 6 beats/min (n = 8, P < 0.05). This large bradycardic response to capsaicin was inhibited by 1) infusion of neurokinin A to desensitize tachykinin receptors or 2) treatment with 1 μM atropine to block muscarinic receptors. The latter observations implicate tachykinins and acetylcholine, respectively, as mediators of the bradycardia. These findings support the hypothesis that endogenous tachykinins could mediate axon reflexes to stimulate cholinergic neurons of the intrinsic cardiac ganglia.

Chapter 1 gives an overview of the fluorine chemistry field, from its early developments to recent applications in medicinal chemistry. The development of asymmetric electrophilic or nucleophilic installation of fluorine in organic molecules is highlighten. Chapter 2 of this thesis discusses the enantioselective synthesis of α-fluoroamides. The study is applied to the synthesis of fluoroenantiomers of the bioactive molecule capsaicin and short-chain analogues. The biological activity of these compounds is assayed with the TRPV1 receptor. Results show that enantioselective α-fluoroamides (R)-97, (R)-99 and (S)-99 can generate differentiated biological responses, from TRPV1 agonists to TRPV1 antagonists. Chapter 3 focuses on the optimisation and development of 2-(aminomethyl)piperidine (R)-251 dihydrochloride. The development of 2-(aminomethyl)piperidine (R)-251 as its ditetrafluoroborate salt proved to offer excellent reactivity and solubility for the preparation of derivatives. This tetrafluoroborate salt was used to improve the syntheses of organocatalysts 2,2,2-trifluoro-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)acetamide 363 and 4-methyl-N-(piperidin-2-ylmethyl)benzenesulfonamide 364.The catalytic properties of these latter two molecules for asymmetric Mannich reaction is demonstrated. Both (R)-363 and (R)-364 show up to 86% ee, in a typical 20 mol% loading, but loading of (R)-363 as low as 5 mol% still induces the catalysis.

Rapid receptive field (RF) reorganization of somatosensory neurons in the rat dorsal horn was examined using extracellular single unit recording. Subcutaneous injection of lidocaine into RFs of dorsal horn neurons results in expansion of their RFs within minutes. The expanded RFs appear adjacent to or/and proximal to original RFs. Out of 63 neurons tested, 36 (58%) show RF reorganization. The data suggest that dorsal horn of spinal cord is one of the initial sites for RF reorganization. The neural mechanisms of this effect are not well understood. We propose that changes in biophysical properties (membrane conductance, length constant) of the neurons resulting from lidocaine injection contribute to RF reorganization. Iontophoretic application of glutamate onto dorsal horn neurons that show lidocaine induced RF's expansion were used to test the model. Application of glutamate produced reduction of reorganized RFs in 9 of 20 (45%) tested cells. Application of NBQX produced no effect on either original or expanded RFs indicate that RF shrinkage effects of glutamate involve NMDA receptors. The results are consistent with the prediction of the proposed model. Subcutaneous injection of capsaicin into tactile RFs of low threshold mechanoreceptive dorsal horn neurons produced no effect on the RF sizes that are consistent with other studies. Following the injection, the original RFs were completely silenced (46%) or remained responsive (54%).

O número de casos de câncer tem aumentado significativamente em todo o mundo, principalmente a partir do século passado. Dessa forma, a busca por novas moléculas capazes de combater esta doença é cada vez maior, visto que muitos fármacos utilizados na terapêutica mostram-se tóxicos e pouco seletivos para células tumorais, causando efeitos adversos que muitas vezes alteram a qualidade de vida do paciente drasticamente. Muitos fármacos antineoplásicos tiveram sua origem relacionada aos produtos naturais. A capsaicina é o principal componente pungente das pimentas vermelhas do gênero Capsicum, e seu efeito antitumoral é extensivamente discutido devido a sua capacidade de induzir apoptose seletivamente em diferentes linhagens de células cancerígenas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo utilizar a estratégia de modificação molecular para o planejamento racional de análogos funcionais da capsaicina, visando à obtenção de moléculas com atividade citotóxica superior. Os análogos foram sintetizados utilizando reações de uma única etapa baseadas em metodologias clássicas de acilação e caracterizados através de metodologias analíticas como espectroscopia de RMN de 1H e 13C, análise elementar e ponto de fusão. Posteriormente, foram avaliadas as atividades biológicas contra quatro linhagens tumorais (PC3, MACL-1, H1299, U138MG) e fibroblastos (3T3), utilizando o método de redução do MTT 3-(4,5-dimetil-tiazol-2-il)-2,5-difeniltetrazólio. Três compostos (RPF306, 452 e 404) inibiram seletivamente o crescimento celular na faixa de concentração de micromolar (&#181;M). Estudos teóricos adicionais revelaram que propriedades topológicas e eletrônicas influenciaram na discriminação de amostras e podem ser importantes no processo de reconhecimento molecular e, subsequentemente, na resposta biológica. Tais resultados indicam que amidas e ésteres aromáticos, como o RPF306 e 404 podem ser modelos interessantes para o planejamento de novas séries de moléculas seletivas e pouco tóxicas, que representem uma alternativa interessante no tratamento do câncer. / Over the past century, the number of cancer cases has increased significantly worldwide. Therefore, the quest for discovery of new molecules able to treat the disease is increasing, since many drugs used in therapy are poorly selective and toxic to normal cells, causing adverse effects that often change dramatically the patient\'s quality of life. Many chemotherapeutic agents had its origin related to natural products. Capsaicin is the main component of pungent red peppers of the genus Capsicum, and its antitumor effect is extensively discussed, due to its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. In this context, our research aims to use the strategy of molecular modification to the rational design of capsaicin functional analogues, in order to obtain molecules with superior cytotoxic activity. The analogues were synthesized using an one-step reaction, based on classical acylation methods and characterized by analytical methods such as 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and melting point. Subsequently, their cytotoxicity were evaluated against four human cancer cell lines (PC3, MACL-1, H1299 and U138MG) and fibroblast (3T3) using the MTT - 3-(4,5 dimethyl thiazole-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium assay. Three compounds (RPF306, 452 and 404) selectively inhibited the growth of cancer cell lines at micromolar (&#181;M) range. In silico studies revealed that topological and electronic properties mostly influenced the samples discrimination and also might be important for the molecular recognition process and, subsequently, biological response or function. The results indicate that aryl amides and esters, such as RPF306 and 404 might be interesting scaffolds to develop a novel series of compounds with higher selective and low toxicity that could represent an alternative in the treatment of cancer.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-21T14:13:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 MARTINHA ANTUNES ALMEIDA1.pdf: 2864603 bytes, checksum: 067120c01fd21002ee39713f2ce0f36c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-27 / Capsaicinoids show several therapeutic uses. However they cause pungency in contact with skin and mucosae. In that sense, the aim of this study was to obtain microparticles of poly (-caprolactone) (PCL) containing capsaicinoids for prolonged release through the gastrointestinal tract in order to improve the treatment of obesity. Formulations containing 3, 5 and 10% capsaicinoids were successfully prepared by simple emulsion/solvent evaporation. Values of encapsulation efficiency above 90% were observed for these vanillylamide-loaded microparticles. Microparticles showed spherical shape and smooth surface. The size was suitable for oral use in order to provide a release through the gastrointestinal tract. No chemical bonds were observed between drug and polymer. Microencapsulation led to drug amorphization. Formulations prolonged the release of capsaicinoids without changing the release kinetics (biexponential model). Microencapsulation increased the gastric tolerability of capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin because it prevented inflammatory processes in the stomach of rats. Microparticles containing 5% capsaicinoids had an effect similar to ranitidine and omeprazole in preventing ulcerative lesions induced by ethanol. This same formulation demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of Lee index, mesenteric fat and retroperitoneal fat in rats with obesity induced by hypothalamic lesion using monosodium L-glutamate. These rats also showed a remarkable improvement in lipid profile and glucose level compared to the control groups. Based on the experimental results, it is possible to suggest that capsaicinoids-loaded PCL microparticles are feasible approaches for the treatment of obesity. / Os capsaicinoides apresentam diversas aplicações terapêuticas, entretanto causam elevada pungência quando em contato com a pele e com as mucosas. Nesse sentido, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi desenvolver micropartículas de poli(-caprolactona) (PCL) contendo capsaicinoides para a liberação prolongada ao longo do trato gastrointestinal, com o propósito de otimizar o tratamento da obesidade. As formulações foram obtidas com sucesso pelo método de emulsão simples e evaporação do solvente, nas concentrações teóricas de 3, 5 e 10% de capsaicinoides. Valores de eficiência de encapsulação acima de 90% foram observados para todas as micropartículas contendo essas vanililamidas. As micropartículas apresentaram formato esférico e superfície lisa. O tamanho foi adequado para uso oral, a fim de permitir uma liberação ao longo do trato gastrointestinal. Não foi verificada a formação de ligações químicas entre o fármaco e o polímero. A microencapsulação promoveu a amorfização do fármaco. As formulações prolongaram a liberação dos capsaicinoides, sem alterar a cinética de liberação (modelo biexponencial). A microencapsulação foi capaz de aumentar a tolerância gástrica da capsaicina e da di-hidrocapsaicina, prevenindo a formação de processos inflamatórios no estômago dos ratos. As micropartículas contendo 5% de capsaicinoides tiveram efeito comparável à ranitidina e ao omeprazol na prevenção de lesões ulcerativas induzidas por etanol. Essa mesma formulação promoveu a redução estatisticamente significativa do índice de Lee, da gordura mesentérica e da gordura retroperitonial de ratos com obesidade induzida por lesão hipotalâmica utilizando L-glutamato monossódico. Esses ratos também apresentaram uma melhora expressiva no perfil lipídico e na glicemia, em comparação aos grupos controle. Com base nos resultados experimentais, é possível sugerir que as micropartículas de PCL contendo capsaicinoides são alternativas viáveis para o tratamento da obesidade.

O número de casos de câncer tem aumentado significativamente em todo o mundo, principalmente a partir do século passado. Dessa forma, a busca por novas moléculas capazes de combater esta doença é cada vez maior, visto que muitos fármacos utilizados na terapêutica mostram-se tóxicos e pouco seletivos para células tumorais, causando efeitos adversos que muitas vezes alteram a qualidade de vida do paciente drasticamente. Muitos fármacos antineoplásicos tiveram sua origem relacionada aos produtos naturais. A capsaicina é o principal componente pungente das pimentas vermelhas do gênero Capsicum, e seu efeito antitumoral é extensivamente discutido devido a sua capacidade de induzir apoptose seletivamente em diferentes linhagens de células cancerígenas. Este trabalho teve como objetivo utilizar a estratégia de modificação molecular para o planejamento racional de análogos funcionais da capsaicina, visando à obtenção de moléculas com atividade citotóxica superior. Os análogos foram sintetizados utilizando reações de uma única etapa baseadas em metodologias clássicas de acilação e caracterizados através de metodologias analíticas como espectroscopia de RMN de 1H e 13C, análise elementar e ponto de fusão. Posteriormente, foram avaliadas as atividades biológicas contra quatro linhagens tumorais (PC3, MACL-1, H1299, U138MG) e fibroblastos (3T3), utilizando o método de redução do MTT 3-(4,5-dimetil-tiazol-2-il)-2,5-difeniltetrazólio. Três compostos (RPF306, 452 e 404) inibiram seletivamente o crescimento celular na faixa de concentração de micromolar (&#181;M). Estudos teóricos adicionais revelaram que propriedades topológicas e eletrônicas influenciaram na discriminação de amostras e podem ser importantes no processo de reconhecimento molecular e, subsequentemente, na resposta biológica. Tais resultados indicam que amidas e ésteres aromáticos, como o RPF306 e 404 podem ser modelos interessantes para o planejamento de novas séries de moléculas seletivas e pouco tóxicas, que representem uma alternativa interessante no tratamento do câncer. / Over the past century, the number of cancer cases has increased significantly worldwide. Therefore, the quest for discovery of new molecules able to treat the disease is increasing, since many drugs used in therapy are poorly selective and toxic to normal cells, causing adverse effects that often change dramatically the patient\'s quality of life. Many chemotherapeutic agents had its origin related to natural products. Capsaicin is the main component of pungent red peppers of the genus Capsicum, and its antitumor effect is extensively discussed, due to its ability to selectively induce apoptosis in several cancer cell lines. In this context, our research aims to use the strategy of molecular modification to the rational design of capsaicin functional analogues, in order to obtain molecules with superior cytotoxic activity. The analogues were synthesized using an one-step reaction, based on classical acylation methods and characterized by analytical methods such as 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and melting point. Subsequently, their cytotoxicity were evaluated against four human cancer cell lines (PC3, MACL-1, H1299 and U138MG) and fibroblast (3T3) using the MTT - 3-(4,5 dimethyl thiazole-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium assay. Three compounds (RPF306, 452 and 404) selectively inhibited the growth of cancer cell lines at micromolar (&#181;M) range. In silico studies revealed that topological and electronic properties mostly influenced the samples discrimination and also might be important for the molecular recognition process and, subsequently, biological response or function. The results indicate that aryl amides and esters, such as RPF306 and 404 might be interesting scaffolds to develop a novel series of compounds with higher selective and low toxicity that could represent an alternative in the treatment of cancer.

Five separate field experiments were conducted across different environmental locations in Texas for the purpose of quantifying concentrations of different phytochemical groups (ascorbic acid, capsaicinoids, and flavonoids) within various pepper species, as well as, to identify the most optimum environment to promote expression of the aforementioned phytochemical. Depending on the particular experiment, quantitative measurements were then used in more detail in one of three ways: for identification of the most superior individuals and optimum environmental locations to express elevated concentrations of a particular phytochemical (first three experiments), to calculate heritability and % heterosis estimates for various fruit characteristics and phytochemical levels (fourth experiment), or for use in a specific biotechnology technique to potentially identify a molecular marker linked to elevated levels of ascorbic acid (AA) and flavonoids (quercetin and luteolin) (fifth experiment). In the first experiment, significant differences in fruit weight, capsaicin, and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) were revealed in fruit tissue of five Habanero (Capsicum chinense) hybrids in comparison to a popular, commercial check (Kukulkan F1) after being grown across three different environmental locations (College Station, Uvalde, and Weslaco). Fruit grown at the Weslaco location was found to be larger and contained more capsaicin and DHC than those produced in Uvalde or College Station. While flavonoid contents were variable and low in all genotypes and locations, a few hybrids showed some potential for use in future crossing schemes to compete against the commercial check. Our results further suggested that variation in phytochemicals in fruit tissue of Habanero genotypes can be exploited by selecting in an appropriate environment. In the second experiment, analysis of four jalapeño hybrids in comparison to three commercial checks (Dragon, Ixtapa, and J1845), as well as, two cayenne hybrids in comparison to one commercial check (Mesilla) were compared after growing in three different locations (Amarillo, College Station, and Uvalde). Results demonstrated that the College Station location contributed to production of fruit containing higher concentrations of both AA and flavonoids, while those grown in Amarillo produced fruit with higher capsaicinoids. As expected, cayenne samples contained more AA and flavonoids than jalapeño samples. In comparison to the commercial jalapeño checks, all jalapeño hybrids generally expressed less capsaicinoids. With respect to AA and flavonoid concentrations, a few jalapeño hybrids proved to have some potential to compete against their respective commercial cultivars. For the cayenne market, one genotype revealed its potential use in mild markets and for farmers interested in a new hybrid expressing both appreciable levels of phytochemicals, as well as, more visually aesthetic attributes. Statistical analyses from the third experiment found all the F-values for each characteristic to be significant except the Location x Genotype (L x G) component for fruit wall thickness. For this experiment, a total of 21 different C. annuum (jalapeño, Serrano, and cayenne) genotypes were evaluated after growing in two diverse environmental locations (Uvalde and Weslaco). In general, peppers grown in Weslaco produced fruit with higher concentrations of AA and capsaicinoids, with a few exceptions, while fruit grown at Uvalde generally was larger in size and contained higher concentrations of flavonoids. In comparison to their respective commercial checks (jalapeño – Dragon, Tormenta; Serrano – Halcon, Magnum45; cayenne – Mesilla), a few hybrids were arguably more desirable for their respective markets with respect to different fruit measurements, AA, capsaicinoid, and flavonoid concentrations. This evidence further suggested the potential benefit this material could have for growers interested in replacing current material in the industry and to more successfully provide consumers with a healthier ingredient to better sustain their lives. In the fourth experiment, results confirmed our hypotheses that paprika type material has higher AA and flavonoid concentrations than Serrano peppers, while the opposite is possible for capsaicinoid expression. For this experiment, our goal was to identify the relative ease of incorporating different traits of interest into an improved specimen evaluating a combination of 29 F1 paprika and Serrano pepper (C. annuum) hybrids along with 19 of their respective parents. We were also able to identify how productive certain crossing combinations were at expressing a significant amount of positive heterosis for different characteristics of interest. From our correlation analyses, we were able to identify that a significant association can exist between fruit weight and fruit diameter, as well as when other characteristics were evaluated. In all, our results were able to reveal how effective certain combinations of parent material are towards production of offspring with improved traits expressing appreciable fruit characteristics and elevated phytochemical concentrations. Finally, the quantitative measurements produced in our F2 molecular marker experiment found significant amounts of variation for both flavonoids (quercetin and luteolin) and AA expression. It was evident that incorporation of the necessary genes of interest present within fruit tissue across this F2 family for these different phytochemicals were passed from ‘Ca377’ (P1) to several of these offspring. Three candidate primers were eventually identified for their potential polymorphic expression. However, after statistically analyzing the results, only one primer was identified as expressing a significant association (although the value was still relatively low) of variability with respect to luteolin. We also identified a significant association between quercetin and luteolin, quercetin and total flavonoids (quercetin+luteolin), as well as, luteolin and total flavonoids (quercetin+luteolin) in fruit tissues of different pepper material. From our results, we were able to arguably conclude that an environmental component may serve a more essential role in activating the necessary physiological processes to produce specific secondary metabolites. Although our RAPD technique was fairly straightforward and useful, some may argue that a more reliable technique would have been better. Therefore, we postulate that success may be possible in the near future if a different molecular marker technique is used.