In this study, we have addressed the serotonergic and the opioid system within the CNS. Both systems are of outmost importance in the etiology of disease states, especially mental disorders. In our investigation of the serotonergic system, we have synthesized novel enantiomerically pure 6-aryl-3-amino- and 8-aryl-3-aminochromans as ligands for the 5-HT7 receptor. One reason for the lack of understanding of the physiological functionality of the serotonin 5-HT7 receptor, the most recently discovered member of the serotonin receptor family, is the absence of partial agonists and agonists. In this series, we have identified partial agonists with more than189 fold selectivity over the 5-HT1A receptor and one agonist with 29 fold greater selectivity over the serotonin 5-HT1A receptor. Thus the present series constitutes a starting point for developing highly selective ligands for the 5-HT7 receptor. In our investigation of the opioid system, our focus has been on the natural product salvinorin A, which is a highly selective kappa opioid receptor agonist. In the total synthesis of salvinorin A, we have accomplished the synthesis of a key intermediate, 6-(3-furyl)-4-methyl-5,6-dihydro-pyran-2-one via ring closing metathesis. Furthermore, synthetic methodologies have been developed as a part of the total synthesis. Several lipases have been screeened for their ability to generate enantiomerically pure 1-(3-Furyl)-3-buten-1-ol via bio-catalyzed hydrolysis of the corresponding acetate. The lipase from Pseudomonas fluorescens was identified as having stereoselectivity high enough to generate a % ee value above 98%. We have also developed a route for the introduction of a hydroxyl functionality in the γ position of α,β-unsaturated cyclic ketones by the regioselective oxidation of 1-silyloxy-1,3-dienes using dimethyldioxirane. We have initiated the investigation of the pharmacophore responsible for the kappa opioid activity by synthesizing simplified analogues of salvinorin A. A synthetic route providing easy access to simplified analogues of salvinorin A have been established.

L'une des voies principales du métabolisme cellulaire est la voie des Pentoses Phosphates (PPP). Cette voie métabolique est composée de deux cascades enzymatiques, une voie oxydative et une voie non oxydative. La voie oxydative de la PPP produit un cofacteur, le NADPH, qui est responsable du processus de détoxification de la cellule par son activité réductrice et un précurseur de diverses biosynthèses comme la lipogenèse. Un dysfonctionnement des trois enzymes qui composent cette étape de la PPP peut engendrer la mort cellulaire. Grâce à une nouvelle technique, la Polarisation Dynamique Nucléaire suivie par Dissolution (D-DNP), qui permet d’obtenir un gain de sensibilité par un facteur > 10 000, la quantification des paramètres cinétique dans les conditions physiologiques in cell est possible.Dans ce travail de thèse, nous utilisons un nouveau modèle de quantification des paramètres cinétiques qui offre la possibilité d’étudier une cascade enzymatique composée de 3 enzymes par D-DNP. Grâce à ces expériences, la sélectivité de la première enzyme de la voie oxydative, la G6PD, pour l’un des deux anomères de glucose-6-phosphate, ainsi que le rôle antioxydant de la deuxième enzyme de la PPP, la 6PGL, ont été observés. Pour réaliser ces études, une méthode de synthèse et de purification des différents substrats de chaque enzyme a été développée. Le tout premier inhibiteur de la 6PGL a été testé. Des études préliminaires réalisées sur des Trypanosoma brucei, parasite responsable de la maladie du sommeil, indiquent que la pénétration du glucose dans les cellules est l'étape cinétiquement limitante pour sa conversion enzymatique. / The Pentose Phosphate Pathway (PPP) is one of the main pathways of cellular metabolism. This metabolic pathway is composed of two enzymatic cascades: one is an oxidative pathway, and the other is non-oxidative. The oxidative branch of PPP produces a cofactor, NADPH, which is responsible for the detoxification process of the cell due to its reducing activity, and is also a precursor of various biosynthesis such as lipogenesis. A dysfunction of one of the three enzymes that make up this step of PPP can lead to cell death. Thanks to a new method, Dissolution Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (D-DNP), which features a sensitivity gain by a factor 10,000 compared to standard liquid-state NMR, the quantification of kinetic parameters under physiological conditions, in cell, becomes possible.In this thesis, we add to the scientific library a new model of quantification of kinetic parameters, and the possibility of studying an enzymatic cascade composed of 3 enzymes by D-DNP measurements. Based on these experiments, the selectivity of the first enzyme in the oxidative pathway, G6PD, for one of the two glucose-6-phosphate anomers, was confirmed. The antioxidant role of the second PPP enzyme, 6PGL, was equally studied. To carry out these studies, a method of synthesis and purification of the different substrates of each enzyme has been developed. The very first inhibitor of 6PGL has also been tested. Preliminary experiments on Trypanosoma brucei, a parasite responsible for sleeping sickness, indicate that glucose penetration inside cells is the limiting kinetic step for its conversion.