Submitted by Biblioteca de Pós-Graduação em Geoquímica BGQ (bgq@ndc.uff.br) on 2017-02-01T18:17:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação Mariana.pdf: 2676586 bytes, checksum: f84c5dd984b98dd78c0816e6a516bacc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-01T18:17:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertação Mariana.pdf: 2676586 bytes, checksum: f84c5dd984b98dd78c0816e6a516bacc (MD5) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro / Universidade Federal Fluminense. Instituto de Química. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Geociências- Geoquímica, Niterói, RJ. / Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar as condições atuais do impacto da cana-de-açúcar nos sedimentos superficiais do Sistema Lagunar Mundaú- Manguaba, estado de Alagoas, litoral nordeste do Brasil. Nas ultimas três décadas, aproximadamente metade das bacias de drenagem no entorno do sistema estiveram cobertas por lavouras de cana. A utilização de marcadores geoquímicos orgânicos na determinação da origem da matéria orgânica tem-se mostrado uma ferramenta importante na avaliação da magnitude da poluição de sistemas lagunares por atividades agrícolas. Análises da composição elementar do carbono e nitrogênio orgânico (razão C:N) e isotópica do carbono (d13C), associadas à determinação de carboidratos e ligninas foram realizadas em 30 amostras de sedimentos totais ao longo das duas lagunas, canais e principais rios, bem como nas frações fina e grossa dos sedimentos. Além disso, foram analisadas 8 amostras de solo, procurando abranger todos os estágios de plantio da cana. A distribuição dos compostos analisados evidenciou a compartimentação do sistema em setores distintos, sugerindo que ocorram diferentes padrões de produção, introdução e degradação de matéria orgânica em cada região. De uma maneira geral, os valores de C:N e d13C indicam a presença de material autóctone nas partes centrais das lagunas e nos canais, a influência de fontes terrestres nos rios e uma mistura entre os dois tipos de material nas saídas dos rios. Nas amostras de solo foram verificadas o sinal característico de plantas C4, como a cana, com d13C próximo a -15‰ e razão C:N de 16, em média. A baixa razão C:N dos solos pode ser resultado, principalmente, da introdução de fertilizantes nitrogenados. As razões carboidrato:carbono foram mais elevadas nos solos e rios, indicando a presença de material vegetal. Da mesma forma, as maiores concentrações de ligninas (?) foram encontradas nas desembocaduras dos rios, evidenciando o aporte de material terrestre nesses locais. A distribuição das razões dos grupos fenólicos (S/V e C/V) não se mostrou muito distinta entre as estações, mas na maioria das amostras apresentou valores elevados da razão C/V, indicando a contribuição de angiospermas não lenhosas, tais como a cana, na composição de ligninas. Foi verificada a evidência de contribuição alóctone nas partes medianas das lagunas, mas os altos valores da relação entre as formas ácida e aldeídica do grupo vanilina [(Ad/Al)v] identificam o estágio avançado da degradação desse material, mascarando sinais específicos da cana. A entrada de matéria orgânica nas lagunas contribui para o aumento da produtividade primária, fato evidenciado pelas maiores concentrações de carboidratos nas regiões centrais. De uma maneira geral, as frações finas apresentaram-se enriquecidas em carbono e carboidratos, enquanto que valores elevados de ligninas e C:N, associados a valores de d13C mais leves, indicam que a fração grossa dos rios e região montante das lagunas é constituída principalmente por fragmentos vegetais. Os rios Paraíba do Meio e Mundaú apresentaram maior participação de cana em seus sedimentos, com 44% e 39%, respectivamente, enquanto que o rio Sumaúma apresenta aproximadamente 15% de cana em sua estação após a usina. O material lixiviado das bacias de drenagem provavelmente já é introduzido nos rios bastante processado, devido ao constante revolvimento e manejo dos solos. / This work aims to evaluate the actual conditions of sugar cane impact on the superficial sediments of Mundaú-Manguaba Lagoon System, State of Alagoas, Northeastern Brazil. During the last three decades, almost half of catchments areas around the system have been covered by sugar cane crops. Organic geochemistry tracers are currently used for the determination of organic matter origin as important tools for the pollution evaluation in lagoon systems affected by agricultural activities. Organic carbon and nitrogen analysis (ratio C:N), carbon isotopic analysis and carbohydrates and lignins determination were performed among 30 samples of course and fine fractions from two lagoons, channels and main rivers. Eight soil samples were also analyzed in order to represent all sugar cane cultivation stages. The compounds distribution showed the system partition to distinct sectors suggesting that different patterns of organic matter production, introduction and degradation occur in each regions. Overall, C:N e d13C values indicate presence of autochthonous material along central parts of lagoons and channels, influence of terrigenous source in rivers and a mixture of both materials at rivers outlets. The characteristic signal of C4 plants like sugar cane, were found in soil samples: d13C near to -15‰ and C:N ratio average 16. Lower C:N ratios may result, mainly, from the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers. Carbohydrate:carbon ratios were higher in soil and rivers, which indicate the presence of vegetal fragments. In the same way, higher lignin (?) concentrations were found at rivers outlets, showing the input of terrigenous sources at these locations. The distribution of phenoic groups ratios (S/V e C/V) were not significantly distinct between samples, but most of them had high values of C/V ratio, which indicates the contribution of non-woody angiosperms to lignins composition. There is an evidence of alochthonous contribution at median sectors, but high values of the acid:aldehyde ratios of vanillyl group [(Ad/Al)v] able the identification of advanced degradation stage of this material, hiding the specific signature of sugar cane. The input of organic matter in the lagoons improves the primary production, as showed by higher concentrations of carbohydrates in central sectors. In general, fine fractions had higher carbon and carbohydrate content. Meanwhile, higher values of lignins and C:N associated with lighter values of d13C indicate that the course fraction from rivers and month lagoons sector is constituted mainly by vegetal fragments. Paraíba do Meio and Mundaú rivers sediments presented higher sugar cane content, with 44% and 39% respectively, while sugar cane content was close to 15% in the station close to the plant in Sumaúma River. The leaching material from the cachtment area already reaches the rivers in a highlyprocessed form due to the constant mixture and management of the soils.

The importance of insulin delivery and action is best characterized in Type 2 Diabetes, a disease that is becoming a pandemic both nationally and globally. Obesity is a principal risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes, and adipocyte function abnormalities due to adipose hypertrophy and hyperplasia, have been linked to obesity. Numerous reports suggest that the intracellular and systemic consequences of adipocyte function abnormalities include adipocyte insulin resistance, enhanced production of free fatty acids, and production of inflammatory mediators. A hallmark of adipocyte insulin sensitivity is the stimulation of glucose transporter isoform 4 (GLUT4) trafficking events to promote glucose uptake. In the Type 2 diabetic and insulin resistant states the mechanism behind insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking is compromised. Therefore, understanding the role of factors involved in glucose-uptake in adipose tissue is of great importance. Studies from our laboratory suggest an important role for the unconventional myosin, Myo1c, in promoting insulin-mediated glucose uptake in cultured adipocytes. Our observations suggest that depletion of Myo1c in cultured adipocytes results in a significant reduction in the ability of adipocytes to take up glucose following insulin treatment, suggesting Myo1c is required for insulin-mediated glucose uptake. A plausible mechanism by which Myo1c promotes glucose uptake in adipocytes has been suggested by further work from our laboratory in which expression of fluorescently-tagged Myo1c in cultured adipocytes induces significant membrane ruffling at the cell periphery, insulin-independent GLUT4 translocation to the cell periphery, and accumulation of GLUT4 in membrane ruffling regions. Taken together Myo1c seems to facilitate glucose uptake through remodeling of cortical actin. In the first part of this thesis I, in collaboration with others, uncovered a possible mechanism through which Myo1c regulates adipocyte membrane ruffling. Here we identified a novel protein complex in cultured adipocytes, comprising Myo1c and the mTOR binding partner, Rictor. Interestingly our studies in cultured adipocytes suggest that the Rictor-Myo1c complex is biochemically distinct from the Rictor-mTOR complex of mTORC2. Functionally, only depletion of Rictor but not Myo1c results in decreased Akt phosphorylation at serine 473, but depletion of either Rictor or Myo1c results in compromised cortical actin dynamic events. Furthermore we observed that whereas the overexpression of Myo1c in cultured adipocytes causes remarkable membrane ruffling, Rictor depletion in cells overexpressing Myo1c significantly reduces these ruffling events. Taken together our findings suggest that Myo1c, in conjunction with Rictor, modulates cortical actin remodeling events in cultured adipocytes. These findings have implications for GLUT4 trafficking as GLUT4 has been previously observed to accumulate in Myo1c-induced membrane ruffles prior to fusion with the plasma membrane. During our studies of adipocyte function we noticed that current siRNA electroporation methods present numerous limitations. To silence genes more effectively we employed a lentivirus-mediated shRNA delivery system, and to standardize this technology in cultured adipocytes we targeted Myo1c and MAP4K4. Using this technology we were able to achieve clear advantages over siRNA oligonucleotide electroporation techniques in stability and permanence of gene silencing. Furthermore we showed that the use of lentiviral vectors in cultured adipocytes did not affect insulin signaling or insulin-mediated glucose uptake events. Despite our inability to use lentiviral vectors to achieve gene silencing in mice we were able to achieve adipose tissue-specific gene silencing effects in mice following manipulation of the lentiviral conditional silencing vector, and then crossing resulting founders with aP2-Cre mice. Interestingly however, only founders from the MAP4K4 conditional shRNA vector, but not founders from the Myo1c conditional shRNA vector, showed gene knockdown, possibly due to position-effect variegation. Taken together, findings from these studies are important because they present an alternative means of achieving gene silencing in cultured adipocytes, with numerous advantages not offered by siRNA oligonucleotide electroporation methods. Furthermore, the in vivo, adipose tissue-specific RNAi studies offer a quick, inexpensive, and less technically challenging means of achieving adipose tissue-specific gene ablations relative to traditional gene knockout approaches.

Once seen as a disease of wealthy nations, type 2 diabetes mellitus is now showing unprecedented growth throughout the world, fueling increases in microvascular and macrovascular complications. A compelling and growing body of evidence suggests that glucose intolerance and insulin resistance, hallmarks of the diabetic patient, may be driven by chronic inflammation. In particular, a predominance of visceral fat has been associated with enhanced inflammatory cytokine secretion that may contribute to enhanced risk of diabetes and comorbid cardiovascular disease in these individuals. As a function of its potency and wide environmental and biological distribution, we hypothesized that bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS, also known as endotoxin) may promote adipose inflammation and concomitant metabolic dysfunction. Indeed, expression of the LPS receptor CD14 is enhanced on visceral adipocytes of ob/ob mice, paralleling enhanced IL-6 secretion ex vivo. Furthermore, rosiglitazonefed ob/obmice demonstrated a reduction in CD14 that coordinated with diminished IL-6 secretion, suggesting a basis for the touted anti-inflammatory effects of this commonly employed type 2 diabetes medication. Mice deficient in components of the LPS signaling cascade, namely CD14, TLR4, and MyD88, yielded adipocytes with markedly attenuated IL-6 secretion, corroborating the central importance of LPS in adipocyte inflammation and supporting the role of this signaling pathway in depot-specific inflammation. Despite the prominent role of LPS signaling in adipocyte inflammation, CD14-, TLR4-, and MyD88-deficient mice failed to show resistance to diet induced obesity. Surprisingly, cd14-/- and tlr4-/- mice had marked glucose intolerance without alteration in total weight or adipose accumulation. In contrast, myd88-/- mice revealed minor glucose intolerance only with high fat diet challenge at an advanced age despite being overtly obese. In cd14-/- and tlr4-/-, but not myd88-/-, mice, an exaggerated rebound to hypoglycemia was associated with enhanced norepinephrine secretion, which could be abrogated by the adrenergic β-blocker propranolol. The overlay of these mouse models reveals a divergence of phenotypes that demonstrate LPS signaling disruption may lead to glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in part due to enhanced sympathoadrenal tone, uncovering an essential role of innate immunity in physiological stress and its impact upon glucose homeostasis.

Vivre avec une maladie chronique a des implications multiples sur une personne atteinte et ses proches. Ces implications sont majeures en cas de diabète insulino-traité comme le diabète de type 1 (DT1) et le diabète de type 2 avancé (DT2). Bien qu’un contrôle glycémique optimal soit indispensable pour prévenir et ralentir les complications micro-vasculaires chroniques, l’atteinte d’un tel objectif avec l’intensification de l’insulinothérapie se heurte à un risque important d’hypoglycémie. Les progrès technologiques : pompes à insuline, systèmes de surveillance de la glycémie interstitielle en continu (SSGC) et couplage de ces dispositifs avec un algorithme dans les systèmes de pancréas artificiel (PA) mono-hormonal avec insuline seule, ou bi-hormonal avec ajout de glucagon permettent de plus en plus de rendre le traitement plus simple (automatisation), plus efficace (moins d’hyperglycémies) et plus sûr (moins d’hypoglycémies). Cependant ces technologies apportent de nouveaux défis que nous avons explorés. À travers les projets de cette thèse : 1) Nous avons exploré la gestion de diabète avec le recours à la technologie de point de vue des utilisateurs actuels pour les pompes et les utilisateurs potentiels futurs pour les systèmes PA. Nos questionnaires ont mis l’accent sur l’enthousiasme des patients pour l’adoption de ces technologies et la perception positive de leur rôle dans le contrôle glycémique et la réduction de la glycémie; toutefois, plusieurs problèmes techniques ont été rapportés avec les pompes (nécessitant une amélioration de la technologie, un meilleur recensement ou une meilleure évaluation des effets indésirables) et une préférence d’être capable au besoin d’ignorer les recommandations du PA. 2) Nous avons testé pour la première fois le système PA développé à Montréal pour les patients vivant avec un DT2 insulino-traité et démontré son applicabilité pour cette population avec amélioration du contrôle glycémique en comparaison aux traitements conventionnels ouvrant la porte aux études plus vastes en vie réelle. 3) Trois stratégies en PA ont été aussi testé pour la première fois pour améliorer le contrôle glycémique pendant l’exercice pratiqué dans la période postprandiale (une situation d’hyperinsulinémie et variations rapides de la glycémie). Nous avons comparé : a) un contrôle glycémique exclusivement basé sur les données de la SSCG, b) une annonce avant le repas visant une glycémie plus haute et c) une annonce combinant la réduction du bolus du repas avec la cible glycémique plus haute. L’option qui consiste à annoncer l’exercice avant le repas à l’algorithme en combinant une cible glycémique plus haute avec une réduction de tiers du bolus prandial constituait l’approche la plus pratique pour éviter les hypoglycémies pendant un exercice d’intensité modérée pour 1h débuté 90 minutes post-repas. 4) Le système PA bi-hormonal est avantageux pour la réduction de l’hypoglycémie mais la formulation actuelle du glucagon présente la problématique de la stabilité avec une recommandation d’utilisation immédiate. Nous avons démontré sa stabilité pour 24 heures en contexte de PA ce qui permet de mener des études pour explorer le bénéfice du PA bi-hormonal. 5) Nous avons également exploré la question de sécurité de cette nouvelle utilisation du glucagon en mini-bolus et de façon chronique et nous avons proposé une liste de paramètres à surveiller dans les études prolongées compte tenu l’effet pléiotropique du glucagon sur la majorité des organes. 6) Nous avons démontré que le traitement des épisodes d’hypoglycémie non-sévères résiduels qui surviennent lors du traitement par PA restent difficiles à traiter avec seulement 17% des épisodes corrigés 15 min après l’ingestion des 15 grammes de glucides tel que recommandé. 7) Nous avons finalement exploré si le traitement des épisodes d’hypoglycémies non sévères pourrait être modulé en fonction du seuil glycémique atteint et de la quantité initiale des glucides consommés. Nous avons alors testé l’ingestion de 16 g de glucides (selon les recommandations) contre 32 g de glucides (plus représentatif des pratiques des patients) à deux seuils d’hypoglycémie (3,0 à 3,5 mmol/L et  3,0 mmol/L). Nos résultats confirment la difficulté de traitement de ces épisodes (lenteur de la correction et besoin fréquent de second traitement) quel que soit le seuil de traitement et/ou la dose initiale de glucides consommés. Ainsi, nous avons démontré les avantages et les limites de la technologie pour le diabète insulino-traité, y compris les systèmes PA, en allant de la préférence des patients pour la technologie, à l’utilité du PA dans le DT2 avancé, à la nécessité de annoncer l’exercice à l’algorithme avant le repas pour l'exercice postprandial, à la stabilité de la formulation disponible du glucagon et les paramètres cliniques à surveiller dans les essais à long terme du PA. Cette thèse a finalement montré le manque d’efficacité du traitement de l'hypoglycémie non-sévère par consommation de glucides oraux même dans le cadre du PA. / Living with diabetes, a chronic disease, has multiple implications for a person and their loved ones. These implications are major in the case of insulin-treated diabetes such as type 1 diabetes (T1D) and advanced type 2 diabetes (T2D). Although optimal glycemic control is essential to prevent and slow chronic microvascular complications, achieving such a goal through intensive insulin therapy has the drawback of increased risks of hypoglycemia. Technological advances: insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitoring systems (CGMS) and coupling of these devices with an algorithm in artificial pancreas (AP) systems, mono-hormonal (insulin) or bi-hormonal (with glucagon), can make diabetes treatment simpler (automation), more effective (less hyperglycemia) and safer (less hypoglycemia). However, these technologies bring up new challenges that we have explored through the projects of this thesis: 1) We have examined the use of technology in diabetes management from the perspective of current users for insulin pumps and potential future users for AP systems. Our online surveys highlighted the enthusiasm of patients for technology adoption and the positive perception they hold about its role in glycemic management; nevertheless, several technical problems have been reported with insulin pumps (hence the need to improve the identification of adverse events) and a preference to ignore AP recommendations if necessary. 2) We have tested for the first time the mono-hormonal AP system developed in Montreal for patients living with insulin-treated T2D and demonstrated its applicability for this population with improved glucose management in comparison to conventional treatments opening the door to larger studies in real life settings. 3) Three strategies in AP were also tested for the first time to improve glucose management during exercise practiced in the postprandial period (a situation of hyperinsulinemia and rapid changes in blood sugar). We compared: a) glycemic control based exclusively on CGMS data, b) a pre-meal announcement of exercise to the algorithm that increases target glucose levels, and c) a combination of exercise announcement with meal bolus reduction. The last strategy offered the most practical approach to avoid hypoglycemia during moderate-intensity aerobic exercise of one hour duration that is practiced 90 minutes post-meal. 4) The bi-hormonal AP system is advantageous for the reduction of hypoglycemia but the current commercial glucagon formulation (lyophilized powder) is not stable in liquid form and is only approved for immediate use post reconstitution in an acid solution. We have however demonstrated its stability for 24 hours in the context of AP use (mini-boluses through pumps), which makes it possible to conduct studies to explore the benefit of bi-hormonal AP until new stable formulations are approved. 5) We have also explored the question of the safety of this new use of glucagon in mini-bolus and in chronic way. We have proposed a list of parameters to be monitored in prolonged bi-hormonal AP studies given the pleiotropic effect of glucagon on the majority of organs. 6) We have demonstrated that during AP control (mono-or bi-hormonal), residual non-severe hypoglycaemic episodes remain difficult to treat with a resolution of only 17% of these episodes 15 min after ingestion of the recommended 15 grams of carbohydrates (CHO). 7) We have finally investigated whether non-severe hypoglycaemia treatment with oral CHO could be modulated according to the hypoglycemia threshold reached and the initial amount of CHO consumed. We have thus tested 16 g CHO (recommended by guidelines) versus 32 g CHO (closer to patients’ practices) at two hypoglycemia thresholds (3.0- 3.5 mmol/L and  3.0 mmol/L). Our results confirm the difficulty of treating these episodes (slow correction and frequent need for a second treatment) regardless of the treatment threshold and/or initial CHO dose consumed. Therefore, we have demonstrated the advantages and limits of technology in insulin-treated diabetes including AP systems, by revealing the preferences of patients for technology use, the usefulness of AP in insulin treated T2D, the need of pre-meal announcement to the algorithm during postprandial exercise, the stability of commercial glucagon formulation and the clinical parameters to be monitored in long-term trials. This thesis finally showed the compromised efficacy of non-severe hypoglycaemia treatment with recommended oral CHO even in the context of AP.

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde das Bindungsverhalten makrozyklischer und azyklischer Rezeptorsysteme gegenüber Glycosiden und ionischen Substraten mit modernen semiempirischen und quantenchemischen Methoden untersucht. Für die Analyse der Bindungspräferenz von makrozyklischen Rezeptoren gegenüber ausgewählten Glycosiden wurde ein Arbeitsprotokoll zur Berechnung der Komplexstrukturen entwickelt. Durch die Kombination eines dockingähnlichen Verfahrens mit Molekulardynamiksimulationen wurde die experimentelle Bindungspräferenz von Rezeptorsystemen gegenüber dem Methyl-β-D-Glucopyranosid qualitativ reproduziert. Für azyklische Rezeptorverbindungen wurde die Bindungspräferenz gegenüber Ammonium- und Kaliumionen untersucht. Es wurde diejenige Kombination an Modellen identifiziert, auf deren Basis sich die berechneten freien Bindungsenthalpien von den experimentellen Bindungsenthalpien aus ITC-Analysen weniger als 6 kJ/mol unterscheiden. Die erhaltenen Ergebnisse können daher als Grundlage für ein Screeningprotokoll zur Charakterisierung von Rezeptorsystemen dienen.

No description available.

<p>Systemic fungal infections brought about by <em>Cryptococcus</em> species are associated with some of the highest mortality rates of any infectious disease. Alarmingly these pathogens have overtaken tuberculosis as the second greatest killer among Sub-Saharan AIDS patients and are an emerging disease among immunocompetent populations on the Pacific Coast of North America. This clinical threat has been exacerbated by our inability to discover novel compounds that specifically target fungal cellular architecture at the genus level. To confront this challenge, we have made a concerted effort to biologically prospect the vast chemical potential of Actinomycete bacteria isolated from diverse and underexplored niches around the world. A novel phenotypic screen was developed whereby bacterial small molecule producers were co-cultured on agar plates in an intimate setting with evolutionary distant fungal pathogens <em>Candida albicans</em> and <em>Cryptococcus neoformans</em>. Diffusible small molecules released by the organisms created a signaling environment that stimulated profound phenotypic changes both in the Actinomycetes and the pathogens. We were able to discern a unique relationship whereby the growth of <em>C. neoformans</em> was specifically inhibited by Nigerian soil Actinomycete isolate curated as WAC 2288. Further bioactivity guided purification and chemical analysis lead to the identification of ibomycin, a previously undescribed 34 membered macrolactone decorated with seven sugar moieties. A draft genome of WAC 2288 revealed a 140kb gene cluster containing 12 type I PKS modules and downstream capacity to generate rare sugars are responsible for ibomycin biosynthesis. Purification of ibomycin analogs has revealed that the terminal vancosamine on the molecule is dispensable for bioactivity, establishing a chemical antecedent for target identification through affinity chromatography. Throughout these studies the unprecedented anticryptococcal activity of ibomycin is consistently recapitulated. Future work on the molecule may validate ibomycin as an effective antifungal therapy.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

In der vorliegenden Dissertation konnten erfolgreich neben der Entwicklung und Optimierung neuer Methoden in der Kettenverlängerung von Aldosen und Ketosen auch neue Farbstoffe zur Untersuchung von Protonierungs- und Wasserdynamiken designt und synthetisiert werden. Die Erweiterung des Verständnisses im Zusammenspiel von Aminosäuren und Kohlenhydraten hat einen großen Einfluss in der wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft der Kohlenhydratchemie. Die Kontrolle im Aufbau von Stereotetraden und -pentaden führt zu einer Ausweitung der bekannten Möglichkeiten in der stereoselektiven Synthese von Naturstoffen und Biomimetika. Außerdem konnten durch eine einfache Methode die C-Glykoside seltener Kohlenhydrate dargestellt werden. Einbau von Aminosäuren in Kohlenhydratstrukturen konnten in hohen Stereoselektivitäten und der Möglichkeit der Stereomanipulation durch Wahl des Isocyanides erreicht werden. Die Synthese des zellgängigen Farbstoffes PAc-SNARF, sowie des Biolinkers IA-SNARF ermöglicht eine bildgebenden ratiometrischen pH-Untersuchungen in Zellen und auf Proteinoberflächen. Die Verallgemeinerung der Synthese der Farbstoff-Precursor für die SNARF-Derivate über eine Friedel-Crafts-Acylierung erlaubt eine kostengünstige Darstellung einer großen Bandbreite von Farbstoffen. Mithilfe der neu synthetisierten sterisch anspruchsvollen N-Methyl-6-oxychinoliniumbetain-Derivate verbunden mit der Fluoreszenzaufkonvertierungs-Spektroskopie konnte eine Verlangsamung von Wasser an hydrophoben Oberflächen bewiesen werden. Die gesammelten Ergebnisse und Erkenntnisse in diesen verschiedenen Themengebieten werden in Zukunft einen großen Einfluss in der Wissenschaftswelt haben. / In the presented dissertation new methods in the chain elongation of carbohydrates could be established and optimized. Besides that, new probes for the investigation of protonation and water dynamics could be designed and synthesized. The extension of comprehension in the interaction between amino acids and carbohydrates through hydrogen bonds has a great impact in the scientific community of carbohydrate research. The stereochemical control in the construction of stereotetrads and –pentads leads to a considerable extension of known methods in the synthesis of natural compounds and biomimetics. Additionally the C-glycosides of rare carbohydrates could be synthesized through simple methods. Installation of amino acids into carbohydrate structures could be achieved with very high stereoselectivity and the potential of manipulating the stereochemical course through the choice of different isocyanides. The synthesis of the cell permeable PAc-SNARF and the cysteine-bioapplicable IA-SNARF allow the ratiometric pH-imaging of cells and protein surfaces. The generalization of the synthesis of dye-precursors for SNARF-derivatives through friedel-crafts-acylation allow an inexpensive approach in synthesizing a broad spectrum of dyes. Through deployment of newly developed sterical demanding N-Methyl-6-oxyquinolinium betaine-derivates together with the fluorescence upconversion spectroscopy a deceleration of water reorientation near hydrophobic surfaces could be proven. The here summarized results and insights in the different topics will have a considerable influence in academic sciences.

Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden drei neue Zugangswege zu kettenverlängerten Kohlenhydraten aus ungeschützten Aldosen entwickelt. Dabei ermöglichen diese Protokolle die Synthese verschiedener Klassen von kettenverlängerten Strukturen. Neben der selektiven Darstellung von 2-Ketoaldonsäurederivaten konnten effiziente Zugangsstrategien zu hoch funktionalisierten bizyklischen C-Glycosiden und polyhydroxylierten Pseudopeptiden präsentiert werden. Dabei konnte gezeigt werden, dass ein breites Spektrum dieser verschiedenen Arten kettenverlängerter Kohlenhydrate aus ungeschützten natürlichen Hexose- und Pentose-Substraten zugänglich ist. Durch den Einbezug der natürlich vorhandenen Hydroxylgruppen der Aldosen ermöglichen die präsentierten Kaskadenreaktionen einen sehr effektiven Zugang zu hoch funktionalisierten Produkten, welche in Sequenzen unter Verwendung von Schützungsstrategien nur in aufwendigen, mehrstufigen Reaktionen zugänglich wären. Zudem konnte gezeigt werden, dass die natürlich vorkommende Chiralität in den verwendeten Substraten für ein stereoselektives Dirigieren der neu installierten Stereozentren nutzbar ist. Damit konnte eine bedeutende Erweiterung des bestehenden Repertoires von Methoden für die Verlängerung ungeschützter Kohlenhydrate erreicht werden.. Die entwickelten Transformationen bestechen durch ihre hohe Atomökonomie, wie auch durch ihre sehr gute ökologische und ökonomische Bilanz und erfüllen damit die Anforderungen an nachhaltige Synthesemethoden. / The scope of the presented work was the investigation of new organocatalysed synthesis strategies of carbon chain elongated carbohydrates. Here three new accesses to three different structure motifs of these biologically highly important and manifold compounds from unprotected carbohydrates were developed. Using naturally occurring, unprotected pentoses and hexoses, a wide variety of keto aldonic acids, bicyclic C-glycosides and glycosylated pseudopeptides are accessible in three different cascade reactions. All of the presented strategies enable the C-chain elongation by employment of the naturally occurring aldehyde motive without tedious protection ad deprotection protocols or synthetic modifications of the substrates. By utilisation of the chiral hydroxyl moieties of the carbohydrate chain, diastereoselective control of the installation of the stereocenters formed in the cascade reactions is achieved. The high regio- and diastereoselectivities, high yields as well as the convenient synthesis conditions of the presented protocols make the presented cascade reactions valuable tools among the already described accesses to the biological important compounds of chain elongated carbohydrates. The presented cascades enable the diastereoselective synthesis of a high variety of these motifs in only one synthetic step from readily available unprotected carbohydrates without additional modification steps. These advantages give rise to a very high atom economy of the transformations, which therefore fulfil the requirements to green chemistry and sustainable synthesis methods.

L’Organisation mondiale de la Santé recommande aux individus de limiter leur consommation d’aliments sucrés dans le but de prévenir le développement des maladies chroniques. En santé publique, peu de recherches ont tenté d’identifier les facteurs individuels et contextuels qui peuvent influencer conjointement la consommation de ces aliments. Or, de telles connaissances seraient utiles pour guider les interventions nutritionnelles visant à en réduire la consommation. L’objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier les facteurs reliés au comportement et les contextes associés à la consommation quotidienne d’aliments sucrés chez des adultes vivant dans un milieu urbain occidental. Cette étude a été menée auprès d'une communauté moyen-orientale établie dans la Ville de Montréal. Les aliments sucrés ont été définis comme étant les glucides raffinés dont la teneur en sucres totaux dépasse 20 % de l’énergie totale. Lors de l’étape exploratoire (N = 42), un rappel de 24 heures a permis d’identifier les sources d’aliments sucrés et de déterminer l’apport quotidien en sucres totaux de cette communauté. Une étude qualitative descriptive a été privilégiée et un cadre écologique a guidé la réalisation d’entrevues semi-dirigées sur les contextes de consommation (N = 42). Une analyse de contenu employant des procédures de codage initial et focus a mené à l’élaboration d’un instrument de mesure quantitatif sur les contextes de consommation. Cet instrument a été soumis à un pré-test (N = 20), puis administré à l’échantillon principal (N = 192). Une analyse factorielle exploratoire a permis de préciser les contextes de consommation. Les facteurs individuels mesurés incluent les données sociodémographiques, les symptômes dépressifs, la maîtrise de soi, l’assoupissement de jour, les perceptions ainsi que l’hémoglobine glycosylée. La consommation quotidienne de sucres totaux a été mesurée par un questionnaire de fréquence alimentaire (N = 192). Une analyse de régression multivariée employant le modèle linéaire généralisé (distribution de type gamma et lien logarithmique) a été effectuée pour mesurer les relations entre les contextes de consommation, les facteurs individuels et la consommation de sucres totaux, en contrôlant l’âge et le sexe. L’apport quotidien en sucres totaux de l'échantillon est de 20,3 %, ce qui s’apparente aux apports des Canadiens et des Québécois. La consommation quotidienne moyenne est de 76 g/j. Les analyses qualitative et factorielle ont permis d’identifier un ensemble de 42 contextes de consommation regroupés en sept domaines (Actes et situations de grignotage, Stimuli visuels, Besoins énergétiques, Besoins émotionnels, Indulgence, Contraintes, Socialisation). La consommation quotidienne de sucres totaux est supérieure chez les hommes (B = 0,204, ES = 0,094, p = 0,03). Les facteurs positivement associés à la consommation sont le grignotage (B = 0,225, ES = 0,091, p = 0,01), la prise de dessert (B = 0,105, ES = 0,036, p = 0,001) ainsi que les symptômes dépressifs (B = 0,017, ES = 0,094, p = 0,03). L’âge (B = -0,01, ES = 0,004, p = 0,02), l’indulgence (B = -0,103, ES = 0,052, p = 0,05) et l’auto-modération (B = -0,121, ES = 0,042, p = 0,001) montrent, pour leur part, une association négative. Cette étude a privilégié une méthodologie mixte et a permis de développer une mesure innovatrice pour étudier les facteurs contextuels associés à la consommation d’aliments sucrés. Ceux-ci ont été analysés conjointement avec les facteurs individuels. Afin d'encourager les individus à réduire leur consommation de sucres totaux lorsque nécessaire, les initiatives en santé publique devraient en effet cibler les contextes de consommation de même que les facteurs individuels. / The World Health Organization recommends that individuals reduce their consumption of sweet foods and drinks to prevent chronic diseases. Research in public health has not generally sought to elucidate the environmental and individual factors that may jointly influence sweet food consumption. Such knowledge would be relevant, however, in supporting interventions on sweet food consumption. The aim of this thesis was to examine contextual and individual factors associated with daily consumption of sweet foods in adults living in a western urban setting. An established Middle Eastern community in Montreal was the setting for this study. Sweet food was defined as refined carbohydrates that contain more than 20% of total energy from total sugars. In a preliminary step (N = 42), 24-hour recalls enabled the identification of sweet food sources and the measurement of daily intake of total sugars from total energy intake. The context of sweet food consumption was studied through a qualitative descriptive study. An ecological conceptual framework was used to frame the context of sweet food consumption and thus to guide the collection of semi-structured interviews (N=42). Content analysis using open and focused coding techniques was used to inform the development of a quantitative measure to investigate the context of sweet food consumption. This measure was pilot-tested on 20 individuals and administered to the main sample (N = 192). Contextual domains were clarified using exploratory factor analysis. Individual factors measured included depressive symptoms, mastery, sociodemographic factors, perception, daytime sleepiness and HbA1C. A food frequency questionnaire was used to measure daily intake of sweet food (N = 192). Sweet food consumption followed a gamma distribution. Multivariate regression analysis using the generalised linear model (gamma distribution and log-link function) was used to estimate the associations between contextual and individual factors and consumption of sweet food, accounting for covariates (gender and age). Total sugar consumption was 20,3 % of total energy, similar to the average intake of the population of Quebec and Canada. Daily consumption of total sugars averaged 76 g/day. Qualitative analyses and factor analysis led to the identification and refinement of a 42-item contextual measure with items grouped into seven domains (emotional needs, snacking, energy demands, socialisation, visual stimuli, indulgence and constraints). Consumption of total sugars was higher amongst males (B = 0,204, SE = 0,094, p = 0,03). Domains positively associated with total sugar consumption included eating dessert (B = 0,105, SE = 0,036, p = 0,001), snacking (B = 0,225, SE = 0,091, p = 0,01) and depressive symptoms (B = 0,017, SE = 0,094, p = 0,03). Indulgence (B = -0,103, SE = 0,052, p = 0,05), self-moderation (B = -0,121, SE = 0,042, p = 0,001), and age (B = -0,01, SE = 0,004, p = 0,02) were negatively associated with sugar consumption. This mixed-methods study developed a novel measure to study the factors associated with sugar consumption. Individual and contextual factors were jointly associated with consumption of sweet foods. Contextual as well as individual factors should be jointly targeted by public health efforts to support individuals in limiting their consumption of sweet foods, as necessary.